


May the Odds be Ever in Your Favour

by shayminion



Category: Stray Kids (Band), The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Backstory, Bang Chan & Lee Felix are Siblings, Bang Chan is a Sweetheart, Family Feels, Freckles, Gun Violence, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Kissing, M/M, Minor Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Poverty, Seo Changbin is Rude, Seo Changbin is Whipped, Soft Lee Felix (Stray Kids)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2020-03-01 08:01:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 65,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18796261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shayminion/pseuds/shayminion
Summary: Hunger Games AU. In what used to be South Korea, the supremistic war-driven Capital reigns above the places called 'The Districts'. As punishment for a past failed worldwide rebellion against the Capitol, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each of the 15 remaining districts are selected by an annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, a contest in which the "tributes" must fight to the death in an outdoor arena until only one remains.16 year old Lee Felix just wanted to survive and run from this situation, but the odds were never in his favour.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is also on wattpad on my account @shayminion_memes
> 
> I'm currently still writing it on make sure to subscribe if you're enjoying it

When Felix woke up this morning, a sensation of dread sat deep in his stomach. Hearing the rain beat down on the tin roof above him, he quietly slips out of the bed he shares with his mother and older cousin, Chan, noting that the elder wasn't here.

Today was the day of the Reaping.

Pulling on his thin plastic raincoat and a cap, Felix quietly opens the front door and steps out into the downpour. Trekking through the streets that were quickly becoming mud, Felix hurries through the streets of District 14, knowing exactly where Chan had gone.

The sound of boats and the ocean draw nearer as Felix hurriedly approaches the outlying crop of rocky cragg next to the fence around their district. Old, worn ships sway at the rotting dock, with loose fishing nets scattered about. Few fishermen would brave this weather, knowing the waters were strong.

Being the district of fishing, you'd think the area would be wealthier.  However, almost all products were forcefully exported to the closer districts and the Capital, leaving the worst of the fish and barely anything of substance. Due to the salty earth and poor planning, hardly any plants grew, making the District 14 population grow up thin, but lean. Felix himself was quite strong from his long days of collecting and shucking mussels with Chan.

The fast approaching fence, buzzing and alive with electricity, still makes Felix nervous to this day as he approaches it. Grasping the rubber stick they used to sneak under it, Felix finds the spot of bare fence that Chan had accidentally stumbled across from searching for mussels in this area.

A section of the rock outcrop had come loose, and was able to be rolled back to leave a small sized hole under the fence. It was big enough for Chan and Felix to crawl under when they were younger, but now they needed the assistance of a small rubber pole to hold it up for them.

Carefully tucking it under so that the fence sat higher, Felix squeezed in between the rocks to shimmy this thin body under the fence. Getting down in the wet earth made his jeans and thin socks soggy, and he groans, wishing his raincoat was longer.

Once safely on the other side of the fence, Felix quickly stashes the rubber pole behind the rocks on this side, heading into his special place with Chan.

Illuminated by a flickering candle lantern, Chan sits on a crate on the floor of the natural cave they called their second home. The entrance was quite well hidden, and inside Chan and Felix kept their treasures.

The bleached blonde teenager glances up at Felix as he shuffles inside, fiddling with an old rubiks cube. "You came?"

"I knew you'd be here." Felix shoots him a lopsided smile, sitting across from him around the small lantern. He shivers, placing his hands on the dirty glass for warmth.

"...Here, 'Lix." Chan unzips his parka, before slipping it over his smaller cousins thin frame. The younger blonde smiles, drawing it closer around his body. "It's a shame the weather is bad."

The two sit in silence for a while, listening as the rain slightly lets up.

"Hopefully it will clear up before the Reaping," Chan suddenly says, staring at a spot on the ceiling. Felix sadly smiles at his words.

"How many times are you in today, Channie?" Felix's deel voice comes out hoarse with emotion, and he coughs to clear his throat.

Chan's dark eyes remain fixed on the ceiling, his voice monotone as he speaks.

"56."

Silence falls over the pair again, Felix stuttering his words as he speaks.

"Chan, y-you should have let me enter the ballot more than--"

"'Lix, I'd never let you do that." Chan's words are as cold as ice, cutting the younger's words short. Felix looks to his feet, ashamed at how weak he was.

His name was only entered into the ballot four times, one for every year he had been in the ballot. All thanks to Chan's sacrifice.

Putting your name in the ballot multiple times allowed the person to have an amount of canned fruit and vegetables, flour and oil for lamps. It was called a tesserae. On top of the six times his name was already in the ballot, the fifty more allowed for them to stockpile this food, placing them on the more fortunate side of population.

It also meant he could supplies for the others who meant the world to him.

"As they say it in ex-Seoul, 'the odds are definitely not in my favour'," Chan says, putting on a high and aloof voice to mimic someone from the Capital. Despite the grim circumstances, Felix laughs at his joke, swatting Chan's hand when he makes a peace sign and winks.

"Let's just run away, Channie." Felix says, suddenly serious as he grasps Chan's large hand. He plays with his cousins fingers, thinking hard.

"We can go right now. We'll go get mom, and Woojinnie, and sneak under the fence, run to the train line--"

"You and I both know why we can't do that, 'Lix." Chan cuts in, smiling sadly as he sees the gears turning in Felix's head. "We wouldn't make it 50 metres before getting shot down."

Felix frowns harder, and Chan continues to speak. His eyes fall downwards, and he draws his hands away. "...Even if we did make it. Woojin can't walk anymore. We can't make the journey."

An awkward silence falls over the pair at the mention of that, Chan resting his head gently on the table. Felix instantly wants to take back his naive plan, but finds his mouth going dry.

"It's fine, 'Lix. After this year's Reaping I'm gonna go out and get a real job, and then run for mayor." He smiles, a big grin plastering his face. "Gonna make some huge changes around here."

"In your dreams, Chris. Nobody wants you running the district." Felix is being sarcastic, and laughs when Chan flicks his hat off. It lands on the dusty floor.

"Where the hell did that name come from? It's Chan, thank you." He smiles smugly, folding his arms as Felix scoops down to retrieve his hat.

"Yeah, not according to your birth certificate and all those baby photos--" Chan lunges across the table at a laughing Felix, grasping him into a headlock. He knocks the glass lantern over, making the candle inside fall over with a thunk.

"Watch your mouth," he says pointedly, playfully ruffling Felix's hair as he struggles while laughing. A wide smile is stretched across the younger blonde's face.

"We should head back," Felix finally manages to choke out as his laughter dies down, and Chan releases his grasp.

"Yeah, we should."

\----------

Dressing up in your Sunday best for the Reaping every year felt silly to Felix. Standing in front of the cracked mirror, he haphazardly tried to tie his black tie, only to fail and have it sit the wrong way around. Felix whines, ready to just throw the tie on the floor.

"I'll help you, 'Lix." Chan smiles fondly at his younger cousin, untangling it. Chan is dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants. A little too casual.

Felix's mother, Minki, watches the two of them. She's smiling softly, sitting in her armchair.

Chan had been essentially adopted by her soon after he was born. Her younger sister had fallen pregnant when she was only 16: a huge mistake for anyone living in this world.

She was only 18 when she was reaped and had her life taken from her, during the 33rd Annual Hunger Games.

After Felix's father passed away in a boating accident, Minki stopped going outside.

Happy with Felix's now straightened tie, Chan turns to his aunt. "We're gonna head to the square now, Aunty. We're getting Woojinnie first."

She simply nods, and rises. She leans forward to first kiss Chan's cheek, then a disgusted Felix's. "Stay safe, my boys. I love you both."

"Thanks mom," Felix mumbles, wiping the spit off his cheek. "I love you, too."

He knew her words had more meaning behind it. She wasn't just sending them out to play or explore, she was sending them out to possibly face their deaths.

Heading out into the chilly day outside, Felix shivers. Clouds drifted past in the sky, which was now blue in contrast to the storm grey it was this morning.

Woojin lived only a few streets down, at a very run down home. He lived very much on the brink of poverty with his family, especially if he hadn't had Chan. He has four younger sisters, three of whom were a little too young for the reaping. The eldest sister had only just turned 12, making today her very first Reaping.

Reaching the porch, Chan wiggles his eyebrows at Felix before knocking on the door. The blonde can hear the sound of footsteps, and it's quickly opened by one of his little sisters, 10 year old Jisue.

She groans loudly when she sees a smug Chan and bemused Felix.  "Woojin!" She hollers the words into the noisy house, opening the door wider to let them in. "Your dumb _boyfriend_ is here."

Chan clutches his heart, pretending to be hurt by her words. "I might not know how to read, Jisue, but that doesn't make me dumb!"

Felix laughs at that, stepping inside the tiny house alongside his cousin.

"He's just getting ready in the living room." The short girl rolls her eyes, leading them through the short hallway to the space they called their living room.

Consisting of a tiny television and sofa, the living room is full of activity. Woojin's mother, Mrs Kim, is bent down and fiddling with his secondhand gray tie. He looks embarrassed and impatient, but when he sees Chan his face lights up.

"I'm almost ready!" His mouth widens into a toothy grin, and then notices Chan's outfit. His eyes widen slightly. "Mom, maybe we should just ditch the tie--"

"No, no, you need to look smart Woojinnie." She scolds him, and he rolls his eyes, mouthing 'help me' to Chan.

Felix smiles fondly, watching his cousin walk over and press a little kiss to his forehead. "Let me, Mrs Kim. You could say I'm an expert at tying things."

Woojin chokes at that, and Felix can't help but laugh at his reddened expression.

Chan and Woojin had been friends for a long time. Having met almost on accident during a game of marbles as kids, the two had never left each others side. They were inseparably close, so much so that people thought he and Woojin were related as well.

Watching Chan kneel to fiddle with Woojin's tie, Felix's eyes wander to the wheelchair he sat in. Maybe Chan still blamed himself for what happened to his best friend, but ever since he had become aggressively protective of the black-haired Woojin. Just like with Felix, he refused to let Woojin or his family enter the ballot more than neccessary, promising them a share of the tesserae he recieved.

It wasn't Chan's fault what happened to Woojin, but Felix remembered how for days after he recovered the blonde boy avoided his friend, ashamed. Chan had gotten into some trouble with Peacekeepers, who had threatened to tase him. Angry and protective, Woojin had pushed the Peacekeeper back, only to end up with a bullet lodged in his spine resulting in permanent damage. Chan had cried for days on end, so scared he wouldn't pull through but too scared to face reality.

Only after Felix had coaxed him to go to him did Chan see him. Since then, Chan made it his personal mission to look after Woojin.

"Isn't this year the Quarter Quell year?" Woojin questions Chan, who shrugs.

"I dunno. 'Lix and I didn't watch the broadcast this year." With Woojin's tie successfully tied, Chan grasps the handles of his wheelchair, ready to go.

"Yo, my arms aren't disabled too," he says pointedly, but Chan ignores him. Felix struggles not to laugh.

"I'll bring him home safe later," Chan says, grinning, as Mrs Kim bends to kiss her son. "Is Chungho wanting to come with us, too?"

Chungho was Woojin's eldest younger sister, who was nowhere to be seen. Mrs Kim smiles painfully.

"She left early to be with her friends."

Chan nods, before wheeling Woojin down the hallway. "Bye Mrs Kim, we'll see you soon!"

Felix gives the older woman a short wave. She's still smiling, but suddenly looks very tired. It's Woojin's last year of being entered into the ballot. After this, she had no reason to worry for her son's safety anymore.

Chan wheels Woojin down the little makeshift ramp on their porch, an excited "whee!" slipping out as they slide down it.

"Again, I can move myself, thank you." Woojin looks embarrassed, turning to give him puppy dog eyes. Felix gives him a pitied smile. The mood was light despite the circumstances.

"Nah, I've got it, Woojinnie." Chan winks at him, steering him over the uneven ground. Woojin huffs, turning back to face the front.

"You said it was a Quarter Quell this year?" Felix questions, breaking the short silence. Woojin thinks for a moment before speaking.

"Yeah. It's the 50th anniversary this year, so its a special event."

Felix rolls his eyes. "How about this year they just let all the tributes go home? That sure sounds like a good Hunger Games."

Chan chuckles at that. Felix feels more nervous as they draw near to the town center.

"This year, I think they want the tributes to work in teams. Which I think means two potential winners?" Woojin frowns, thinking hard. Felix blinks, surprised. Two winners?

They stay silent for the rest of the walk, arriving at the square. Sections are partioned off for each age group to stand in. Chan blows Felix a kiss before wheeling Woojin over to the other 18 year olds. The blonde boy rolls his eyes as he walks to his group, with the other 16 year olds.

He didn't go to school, but everyone standing here had grown up with or around Felix. District 14 had barely any children, with only about 30 other boys his age surrounding him. A stage had been set up in front of town hall with two giant glass bowls. Hundreds of slips of paper are inside each. Felix eyed the bowl on the boy's side, knowing it contained 56 of Chan's name. He shivers, suddenly worried for his cousin.

Another boy from his group catches his eye. Kim Seungmin. They exchange a terse nod. Seungminnie was a good friend of Felix's, bringing him little loaves of bread in trade for mussels on a daily basis.

They would survive this.

A few minutes of tense silence passes, before a strangely dressed woman with long red hair approaches the podium from behind the stage. She taps it, and it makes a loud noise that makes everyone jump.

"Hem, hem. Hello there, District 14!" Felix vaguely recognizes her from the little television he watches. Her name is Hyunah. Her long fake eyelashes are black and pink, with a matching gaudy pink fur coat wrapping her tiny figure. "How wonderful to see all your pretty little faces!"

The crowd of teenagers stay silent, as well as the parents and onlookers watching on from afar.

Hyunah quickly reads the situation, clearing her throat. "Let's move on quickly, now!"

Like every other year before, Hyunah begins to read from a long script, detailing about why the Hunger Games exist. Disaster, war, rebellion, blah blah blah. Felix drowns the words out, focusing on watching how her lipstick reflects the sunlight. Behind her, three adults awkwardly sit. One is the current mayor, a graying jumpy man, and the other two Felix recognizes as past winners of the games.

The younger has a stern face with a long fancy earring dangling from his lobe. Im Jaebum, winner of the 44th Games. He's clad in a peach coloured dress shirt and dark pants, staring blankly across the seas of people. He was only 14 when he won the games, which was almost an accident that he did.

The older is a pained looking woman who won the 17th Hunger Games, Lee Sunmi. She's dressed from head to toe in all black: fitting for the mood of the reaping. Felix doesn't remember how she managed to win her Games, but he remembers it wasn't exactly pretty.

"Now, this Hunger Games is a very special event... the exciting Quarter Quell! Each tribute, both boy and girl, will be paired with another random tribute. Could it be from their own district, or another?" Hyunah pauses for effect. Felix felt anything but excitement. He simply prayed for the paper slips in the boy's bowl. "Without further ado, let's find out who our dear tributes will be!"

Hyunah smiles, with a hint of something underneath it. Pity? Felix feels him and every other teenager collectively draw breath as she approaches the female bowl.

"Ladies first, shall we?"

Digging deep into the bowl, getting right on the tips of her enormous high heels, Hyunah grasps a slip out of the bowl. The tension could be cut with a knife as she trots back to the podium. Felix prayed for Woojin's little sister, Chungho, who he could see shaking from her place at the front.

Unfolding the paper, she speaks clearly and brightly.

"Manoban Lalisa."

Felix feels his blood run colder, turning to look for her in the sea of girls. Lisa, a bubbly 15 year old, ran a local market stall with her parents. Her eyes are wide with surprise, and she seems stuck in place along with everyone else. Another girl, by the name of Roseanne, grips her hand in a tight squeeze before letting go. Peacekeepers, the guards of the districts dressed in white, approach her from their post by the edge of the group. They gently prod her towards the stage, keeping their weapons sheathed. As if reanimating, she bows her head and heads to the steps leading to the stage.

Nobody makes a sound as she silently moves forward, down the center aisle. Every pair of eyes are on her.

Hyunah smiles kindly at her, extending her hand to her. The ribbon that ties back Lisa's ponytail flashes in the light as she grips her hand.

"Take a seat here, dearie." Hyunah guides her to a seat near the past winners, who simply look at her with unreadable emotions in her eyes. Staring down at the black shoes on her feet, Felix can see Lisa is trying hard to hold back tears.

"Now, the gentlemen." Hyunah briskly moves to the next bowl, and Felix feels his heart go into overdrive.

 _Anyone but Chan..._ The selfish thought bounces around in his head as the red haired woman fishes for the male tribute.

Grasping her chosen slip, she heads towards the podium again. It felt like time was moving too slow as she unfolded the paper.

"Bang Christopher."

Felix felt his heart stop.

Heads turn backwards, to where Chan stood. He's standing stiffly next to Woojin, a strange look on his face.

A look of fear.

His eyes catch Felix's. Chan suddenly swallows, and goes to move forwards before the Peacekeepers can swoop in like they did for Lisa. Woojin seems too shocked to move, until Chan is nearly out of reach.

He suddenly grips his wrist. He says something to Chan, who isn't looking at him. Woojin repeats it, louder, and tears begin coursing down his cheeks as Chan tries to pull away.

Peacekeepers see this, and begin to head towards the pair, drawing tasers. Woojin is almost screaming at Chan now, incoherent, and his blonde cousin begins to cry too. Chan refuses to meet Woojin's eyes, but reaches out to run his fingers through his black hair, gently but quickly pulling himself out of his tight grip.

Woojin's screams die down into whimpers as he stares at the empty hands in his lap. Everyone watches on in silence, some with tears in their eyes at the heart breaking sight.

Chan steps out into the center aisle, his eyes not once leaving Felix. The younger blonde simply stands mute, stunned, until Chan breaks eye contact with him and begins the walk to the stage. Peacekeepers escort him, clutching tasers.

No.

This can't be happening.

Felix had to be dreaming right now.

He willed himself back to the bed he shares with his family, wanting to wake up.

Felix feels desperation wash over him. A rush, a need to stop this from happening. He acts without telling his body to do anything, suddenly shoving through the teenagers around him to get to the center aisle. He probably had accidently punched a couple in his wake.

Once freed from the group, the blonde swallows. He catches Chan's shocked eyes on him, before throwing his hand into the air.

"I... Volunteer as tribute."

 


	2. Chapter 2

If it could be possible, the tension grew thicker at Felix's words.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Chan lunges towards Felix, grasping for his shoulders, but Peacekeepers suddenly grip his arms and yank back before he can do damage.

"Are you out of your fucking _mind_ , Felix?" His older cousin sobs the words, desperately trying to pull from the strong grip of the Peacekeepers. Felix feels shock run through his veins when Chan drops his affectionate nickname. "I have to be the one to go! Not you! Never, ever y--"

Chan is cut off by howling in pain, a taser suddenly plunged into his side.

This, in turn, causes Felix to leap forwards, only to be dragged back towards the stage in a similar fashion.

"Channie, you need to stay here and survive!" Felix is surprised by how strong his words are, tears pricking his eyes, turning and letting himself be taken to the stage. "You need to!"

Chan, temporarily collapsed from the pain, allows himself to be dragged away. Tears are streaming down his cheeks as he is taken back to the other eighteen year olds again. They band together to support his weight, helping him to Woojin. He cups Chan's face in his hands, also crying. Felix's cousin sunk down and shoves his face into Woojin's thigh, sobbing, with the black-haired boy whispering into his curly blonde hair.

There was nothing he could do now. What Felix had done, he could not take back.

Hyunah looks shocked, staring at the commotion going on with the boys. Determined, Felix faces her now, each step thudding with his heart. He feels the eyes of every person on him, making the hair on his neck stand up.

Jaebum is looking at him curiously, only looking away once Felix joins Hyunah on the stage, grasping the hand she extends like Lisa had.

"Well, that was rather exciting! What's your name, sweetheart?" She drops his hand, grasping the mic on the podium to turn it towards him.

"...Lee Felix." His voice is a little deeper than normal, more stronger.

He needed to do this.

Chan howls louder at hearing his name, and Felix tries to ignore the heartbreaking sound.

"And was that your brother, Felix?" Hyunah presses for more answers, visibly excited.

Felix clears his throat. "Yes, to me he is. I would do anything for him."

The blonde focuses on the past as he speaks. Chan's bright smile while they threw nets into the sea from rocks, laughing while mucking around on the job. Sunnier, happier days.

Felix sucks in his breath hard, breaking his steady gaze on District 14 and looking at the floor.

"Well! Let's all clap for Felix, shall we? What a brave boy, volunteering for his dear brother."

Nobody claps. Instead, they solemnly look towards him. Was it out of pity? Hope? Hyunah directs for Lisa to join him at the front of the stage.

"I present to you your new tributes of District 14, Lalisa and Felix!"

\----------

Being ushered off the stage into town hall made the realization of what Felix had done sink in.

Flanked by the past winners, they walk in silence into the buiding. Jaebum rests a hand on Felix's shoulder, and Sunmi wraps her arm around a sobbing Lisa. Directing them into separate rooms, the door shuts behind them with an audible click.

"What you did back there was insane."

Jaebum breaks the silence, and Felix glances up before cowardly looking away. His steady gaze is piercing, with that very same hint of emotion behind it. The black-haired man is standing by the single window, looking out to the town centre below.

Felix sinks down into the single fancy couch in the room, running his fingers over its soft upholstery, moments before the door burst opens.

Channie.

Chan is still sobbing, before drawing Felix into a bone crushing hug. The younger blonde whimpers, tears springing again into his own.

"Why?" Chan's voice is croaky, but Felix doesn't respond. Instead, he cradles Chan closer, running his fingers through his hair and taking in his salty, homey scent.

They stay like this for a moment, before Chan pulls away. He grasps Felix's long hands in his own, similar to how the younger had done this morning.

"You... You need to survive, 'Lix." Chan sniffles, looking into his eyes. A pained look crosses his eyes. "You're not built to fight like this."

Chan's words crash over him, and he realizes what he means. Felix wasn't trained in any type of combat, and he wasn't very strong. He swallows hard.

His cousin thinks for a moment, before speaking. He squeezes his hands. "But there's a couple things you can do, 'Lix. You're the fastest damn runner in all of District 14. Getting you to deliver our stock to the market is faster than any car."

Felix chuckles at that, dryly, but Chan continues. His words are careful and serious. "You can hold your breath under water for ages too, 'Lix. F-Find water, and run. Run and survive."

Chan's eyes travel to Jaebum, and they harden. He walks up to the black-haired man, shoving his hand against his breast pocket. "Keep him safe," he growls at the elder black haired man, who simply nods, holding his chest.

"We have two more minutes," he reminds the two blondes, worried about the peacekeepers outside swarming on Chan again.

The door opens again, and this time Felix's mother is standing at the door. The blonde blinks, shocked. He hadn't seen his mother go outside in the last ten years.

She's breathing hard, having just run here, before kneeling in front of Felix and Chan.

"My poor, brave boys," Minki whispers, which throws Felix over the edge.

He breaks down, throwing his arms around his mother and Chan. They cry together, their small family even more broken now.

"I'm so scared," Felix whispers, feeling his mother run her fingers through his hair.

"You need to stay strong, 'Lix. There will be cameras everywhere." Chan carefully reminds his cousin, almost crushing his hand at this point. "Don't show them weakness."

"Times up," Jaebum suddenly says, noting the Peacekeepers approaching outside. Felix whimpers, feeling Chan's strong arms wrap around him tighter for a moment, before letting go.

White donned Peacekeepers sidle into the room, their firm yet silent presence reminding Chan and Minki that they needed to leave. They each kiss Felix's forehead, before leaving the room.

Felix sobbed a little, hoping and praying it wouldn't be for the last time. Quickly trying to hold his head up high, he walks with the Peacekeepers, Jaebum flanking him.

He's directed to slide into a fancy black car with Jaebum, Sunmi and a still crying Lisa. Felix marvels slightly at it's shiny leather interior.

A steady silence falls over the group. The trip to the train station isn't long in a car, but Felix had never been. A fence ran around the station, which was only to be used for official visits and transporting fresh fish to the Capital.

Felix is in awe at the shiny gold train waiting for them, as well as the swarms of reporters and cameras. He'd heard about this train before. It could travel hundreds of miles within a few minutes, which would make their journey to the Capital all the more faster.

Jaebum gives him and Lisa a pained expression, before opening the door.

Felix was glad he was done crying, because the flashes of cameras in his face shocks him. Lisa squeaks, drawing close to Felix. People are asking them questions he can't understand over the wave of sound, Jaebum quickly steering him to the entrance of the train where Hyunah stood.

She's smiling widely, coaxing the two onto the train, along with their mentors.

"Wow..." Felix and Lisa both gasp at the plush interior. Snacks and diffetent foods line a table, with long sofas running along the length of the walls.

"The trip to the Capital will only take one day, so don't get too comfortable!" Hyunah is as chipper as ever, guiding then on a tour of the train.

Both Felix and Lisa are given their own private room on the train, with a bedroom and bathroom attached. Left alone to rest for a while, Felix notes the shower, and excitedly turns the taps. He's amazed at the hot steamy water that comes out. They rarely had water this warm, due to wanting to save the hot water for winter.

He quickly sheds himself of his clothes, folding them for later, before hopping into the warm spray. He lets out a sigh of relief, feeling it wash over the salty skin of his back. After quickly washing his hair and skin with the multitudes of soap available, Felix dries off. A towel wrapped around his waist, he explores the drawers full of clothes before getting changed into a simple black shirt and pants.

With the sun beginning to set, Hyunah comes to collect him and Lisa for dinner. She's dressed in a deep red evening gown with long sleeves. The brown haired Lisa had also showered and gotten changed, tying her hair into its signature ponytail with a red ribbon this time. Her mood seems to have brightened, and she gives Felix a shy smile.

They sit at the table, which has an assortment of luxury meat, rices and soups across it. Felix's mouth waters at the sight, grasping his chopsticks with one hand.

They barely speak as they eat, with Hyunah making most of the conversation.

"How exciting it must be to see the Capital for the first time! And with both a male and female mentor each." Hyunah gushes the words, digging into the rice. Jaebum stoicly eats, not saying a word, but Sunmi smiles wanly.

"We will do our best to guide you both," Sunmi says, not prodding the elephant in the room that was knowing neither had a high chance of winning. Lisa, slim in stature, is questioned by Sunmi about what she does back in District 14 as they finish their meal.

"My parents and I run a market stall of fresh fruit and vegetables from our garden," Lisa explains, smiling softly. "When I'm not helping with the stall, I grow plants and look after them. It's hard work, but well worth it."

Jaebum frowns, thinking over her words. "Are you a strong girl, Lisa?"

She shrugs. Jaebum glances at the muscle running up her arms, exposed by her sleeveless button up dress.

"During training, I want you to focus on building your strength. Try swordplay and hand to hand combat." Jaebum speaks slowly, with Sunmi nodding in agreement.  "Felix, your brother said you were a good runner?"

"My cousin, who is my adopted brother, thinks I am. We work at the docks, near the rocky area. We sell mussels." Felix mumbles the words, suddenly embarrassed by his thin frame. "I run the mussels to the market when we have too much, which I trade or sell."

"And what about holding your breath?" Jaebum isn't looking at him, instead focusing hard on the wooden table. Felix feels slightly nervous.

"I can hold my breath for seven or eight minutes," he mumbles, and Lisa gawks at him. "Some of the mussels are hard to reach, so I'm used to swimming down to get them."

Jaebum nods slowly. "If the arena is a water-based one, then you're in luck. I think you need to focus on your survival skills, like climbing trees, and weapons with a long reach. Bow and arrow, or a trident."

Felix carefully nods, retaining Jaebum's words to memory. Hyunah quickly gestures for them to all rise and follow her, leading the group to another room to watch something she called a 'luxury'. Felix feels a little strange leaving such a mess, having been in the habit of cleaning up after himself.

Sinking into the plush sofa, Felix leans back while Hyunah plays the videos. She's very excited, babbling about how normally other districts don't see this. After a moment, the screen comes to life.

It shows a large group of teenagers in a different town square, with a large statue in the centre of a gigantic '1'. Felix's stomach lurches. Is this the District 1 Reaping?

He watches as a boy is chosen, and multiple teenagers volunteer. They're not stoic or silent in District 1. Laughter and smiles break out amongst people, cheering for the finally chosen tributes. The boy and girl picked look strong and burly, and frighteningly aggressive.

Felix knew that the first four districts were the closest to the capital, and were a little different to how the rest of the districts were. District 1 supplied weapons. District 2, automobiles. District 3 focused on the distribution of soldiers, and District 4 created electrical science, such as the fence wrapping around District 14.

They were always the most murderous districts. The group of 8 would band together early on, into a group they called the Careers. To them, the Hunger Games were an honour to enter.

Felix watches on as the rest of the Districts tributes are chosen. He tries to pay attention to the names, but being unable to read he struggles to. From District 3, over 15 teenagers volunteer in the boys section. Felix watches in wonder as they deliberate on who to choose.

"I never thought anyone would want to enter the games like that," Lisa whispers. "Unless they absolutely had to."

A strong boy is chosen, with an English name Felix manages to remember. Wang Jackson. The girl looks easily as strong, with jet black hair and serious eyes. Kim Jennie.

District 4's chosen tributes look insanely smart, with their chosen spokesperson gushing about how smart the female tribute is. Her name is Bae Joohyun.

Jaebum is slowly taking note of each as the video rolls onto the outlying districts, who focus on trade.

The videos seem to go back to normal, with no one volunteering for the two very young tributes from District 5, the district of agriculture. Felix find he can't remember what District 6 is known for, until Lisa notices his confusion.

"Cotton and linen," she whispers, and he quickly nods.

For District 7, there is another volunteer. An older boy with a kind face volunteers for his little brother, who is sobbing. A pang rips through his heart at the sight of the elder trying to keep a happy smile for his brother.

Felix looks to his lap, lost in thought. He's only drawn back when he hears shouting on the television.

A new district is being shown now. The boy tribute has jet black hair that falls into his eyes. He's yelling at the Peacekeepers not to touch him, but they grab his arms and pin them to his sides. He thrashes, trying to pull free.

Felix frowns, noting how nobody dared to look at the shouting boy. He's finally stunned with a taser, before being dragged to the stage.

"Sorry, I stopped paying attention. Did he volunteer?"

Jaebum shakes his head curtly. "No. His name was drawn. Seo Changbin."

Felix is taken aback. He'd never seen someone react so negatively, so rebelliously, to the Peacekeepers during a Reaping.

The female tribute gives him a pitied look. The past winner of the district, a young man with a catlike face and black jacket, quickly hooks his arm underneath Changbin's shoulder.

Then, onto District 10, and Felix realizes he accidentally missed District 8 entirely.

Each District moves on without much drama. A name is called, and a tribute will step forwards. A girl with long red hair in two plaits. A young boy with metal braces on his teeth.

When District 14 shows on the screen, Felix feels sick.

Its from a high view of the tributes. He watches Lisa's name get called out, and her painstaking walk to the stage.

Then, his heart is torn in two when he hears Chan's name called out again.

Felix's hands ball into fists, and he's shaking. He watches as a tiny version of himself desperately weaves through the crowd to the center aisle. He did punch someone in the face by mistake: poor bread boy Seungmin.

He watches himself throw a hand up, volunteering, and Chan's breaking down and screaming at him.

"Are you out of your fucking mind, Felix? I have to be the one to go!"

The blonde stares down at his lap, feeling his heart stutter and a chilled sensation roll over him. Jaebum notices this.

"Skip to the next district, Hyunah." He speaks firmly, watching her eyebrows crease.

"But we're gonna miss the exciting bit--"

"Hyunah!" Jaebum shouts the words, noticing how her excited demeanor quickly changes to one of understanding.

Felix whimpers when he sees Chan get shocked by the taser, and the Felix on screen lunging for his cousin.

Then, its skipped to District 15. Both Felix and Jaebum visibly relax, but the blonde still felt uneasy.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," he says, before quickly sliding out of the room to go to his bedroom.

He missed Channie.

Alone in the giant bed, Felix cried himself to sleep, clutching his pillow to his body like his life depended on it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so now we have an idea of what the other tributes are! next chapter will go more in depth about things, and introduce a couple more of the tributes


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter for us all <3 I've been non stop writing this lollll let's hope I don't lose energy
> 
> subscribe if you're enjoying it!

Sleep and tear stains crust Felix's face when he slowly wakes up. The train is still moving, but the sun is shining outside. Rubbing one of his dark eyes, he watches as faraway trees whiz past.

He wondered what the time was.

Felix rolls over, seeing an alarm clock he hadn't noticed yesterday on the bedside table. He frowns, thankful the clock was a digital, and reads that the time is 11:34am.

Groggy, he pulls himself out of bed, shedding his clothes from yesterday to shower. The hot water warms him up quickly, a nice way to start the morning in contrast to the cold bucket he would normally dump on himself when he bathed.

He dresses in plain khaki shorts and a white button up shirt, heading out into the main area.

"Ah, you're awake, Felix." Sunmi smiles gingerly at him. "Would you like something to eat?"

"...Maybe some toast," he mumbles, running a hand through his bedhead.

Jaebum is off to the side with Lisa, watching her walk from end to end.

"Lisa, try one more time. Chin up, shoulders back."

Felix frowns, his eyebrows knitting together, until he notices she's wearing high heels. He'd never seen her wear anything but sneakers before.

She throws her head back, trying to correct her posture as she walks. Years of gardening had resulted in a slight hunch to her posture, which was even more noticeable in the tall shoes.

Collecting his toast, he sits with Sunmi. "Anything you can tell me regarding, uh, being fancy?"

She suddenly chuckles at that, and Felix feels a feeling of warmth in his chest at the sound. Sunmi sounded very young when she laughed.

"Yes. A good way to survive the Games are through a system called 'Sponsorship'."

Felix nods slowly, knowing what that meant. During the games, little gifts would be dropped in or hidden for tributes to find. Presents from home, or the Capital if you were popular enough.

"We should discuss what kind of persona you will give off, Felix. You're very attractive, and with a very nice voice, but your overall personality is a bit lacking." As soon as the laugh had escaped, Sunmi was back to business. She sounded almost robotic as she speaks.

"Ouch," Felix jokes, throwing his hands over his heart in a similar fashion to Chan. "What do you mean?"

Sunmi thinks for a moment, watching Lisa teeter on the high heels. "You're the younger brother of the chosen tribute of District 14. You volunteered for him with so much determination. We need you to be fierce, and confident. Speak louder, laugh more."

She rests a hand on his shoulder. "I know it might sound silly, but you need to fake these emotions if you have to. We want a hopeful boy from District 14. It's going to be difficult, but you only need to do it for the media."

Felix nods, munching slowly on his toast so he doesn't have to speak.

Confident and funny. Like Chan.

Sunmi lowers her voice, so as to not draw attention to them.

"When Jaebum was in the Hunger Games, I was his mentor. I found out that the women in the Capital found him rather charming and attractive, so I had him don more jewellery and use sex appeal to win over sponsorship." She seems ashamed by this, unable to look Felix in the eye. "However, that sponsorship won him the game. He was sponsored enough money for some bombs, which he used to take out the remaining tributes."

Felix's blood runs slightly cold, watching Jaebum grasping Lisa's small hands as she steps into taller heels. He was always so quiet and reserved. Did he feel guilty about the Games?

Hyunah saunters into the room, dressed in a baby blue dress with a long flared skirt. She's wearing a hat with a blue ribbon tied around it, her orange hair loose.

"Good afternoon, tributes! We will be arriving at the Capital within the hour." She seems to be back into her bright mood. "Look, you can see it now!"

Felix turns to look out the window, his jaw dropping at the sight. In the distance lies the Capital. The city looks alive with colour and light from atop its mountain peak, with high golden walls around it. It's steadily growing in size, only to cut off as they enter a tunnel.

"It's nearly showtime," Hyunah says, winking, and Felix feels the train pulling backwards as it slows.

\----------

"Lee Felix! Over here!"

"Look at his chubby cheeks!"

"He has freckles! Cute!"

Felix is engulfed by compliments and camera flashes as he steps out of the train before Lisa. Faces painted with makeup are smiling gleefully at him, the population of the Capital held back by Peacekeepers. He's taken aback for a moment, before remembering Sunmi's words from before.

_"Y_ _ou need to fake these emotions if you have to."_

Putting on the brightest smile he can muster, Felix waves to the crowd. They cheer louder as the tributes pass, and Jaebum rests a hand on his shoulder.

"Good job, Lee."

Stepping out into the city, Felix marvels at the sheer size of it for a moment as they get into another car.

They drive through the streets of the Capital, Hyunah animatedly talking about every little thing they pass. Felix stares out the window, drinking in every detail. The blonde couldn't see a single thing broken, fading or mouldy. Everything was shiny and new: the people, the lamp posts, even the paved roads.

Pulling up to a ridiculously tall building, Jaebum steps out to hold the door for them all.

Felix and Lisa are led through the tall apartment blocks ground floor, Sunmi quickly speaking.

"You each have a prep team and a stylist to prepare you for the opening ceremony tonight. Don't be alarmed: they've seen it all."

Felix frowns at that, before being whisked away by a group of strange looking people into what they call the 'Remake Center'.

The blonde almost instantly regrets it.

The two female members of his so-called prep team, called Miryung and Minjung, startle him with their matching blast of purple hair and earrings.

They frown at the sight of him once Felix is behind the closed door of the white room. Miryung grasps a hand, feeling the skin. "Gross and hard. Good thing we can fix it."

Minjung crouches, prodding the scars on his legs. "He will need a detox layer."

They both stand in front of him, smiling frighteningly similar. "We will begin now. Strip down."

Felix blinks, his cheeks burning bright red, before obeying.

The next hour can only be described as hell on Earth.

First, they scrubbed him down using what felt like sandpaper on his skin, rubbing it raw. He's fully naked, and extremely embarrassed. Not even Chan had seen him like this. After the first round of torture, they lather him with a softening lotion before letting him slip into a thin white robe and sit on a hard table.

They scrub at the skin of his hands and face, cooing at the freckles that dot his cheeks, nose and shoulders.

"You're lucky to have freckles. Anyone in the Capital would  _die_  to have them naturally." Minsung pouts, her purple hair tied back as she rubs tonics into his cheeks.

When they were done, they swap roles. Minsung files and cleans his nails, while Miryung combs and properly washes his blonde hair.

"Is this your natural colour?" She sounds slightly in awe, combing through the thick waves.

"Uh, yeah. It's always been like that." His cheeks turn pinker. Minsung, finished with one hand, moves onto his next.

"Blonde is totally in season," Miryung says matter-of-factly, running some sort of product into his hair to keep it dry and fluffy.

Next, the body hair.

Felix is confused when they direct him to take off his robe again, and more so when warm wax is spread on his legs and underarms. Minsung winks at him, before ripping the wax off, along with some of the hair on his calf.

He yelps in pain, feeling Miryung do the same with his underarms. If the scrub was bad, then this was worse. His prep team work in unison to rid his body of the excess hair, until the last strip of wax is yanked off and they deem him ready to meet his stylist. Waving in sync, the two leave, giggling between themselves about something as he dresses himself again in his robe.

Rubbed red and raw, with his skin absorbing the multitudes of products slathered into his skin, Felix takes a moment to look down at his arms. Through the red pained skin, the faint inkling of more sunkissed freckles lay on the tops of his forearms. Felix is surprised to see them there. He runs a hand over his now smooth legs, marvelling in the soft texture. His nails are neat and all the same length, rather than half being brittle from being chewed on or broken.

He's broken out of his awe as the door slides open again. A young man with bright blue hair smiles at him boxily. He's dressed lazily in a shirt, jacket and pants, with the only 'Capital' part of him being in his hair colour. He's insanely handsome with his mininal makeup.

"Lee Felix. Hi, my name is V." He extends a hand for Felix to shake, which he awkwardly does. "Let's take a look at you, shall we?"

Ditching the robe for hopefully the final time, Felix awkwardly stands with his arms out as V circles him. He never touches him, only looks. He takes notes on a small pad of paper occasionally.

"Your freckles. You have them on your back, too?" V is behind him now, squinting at his shoulder blades. Felix tries to look at his back, craning his neck.

"Do I? I've never properly looked." The blonde frowns, turning back to face the front. V lowly chuckles, walking back to face him.

"I think I've got a good idea on how to dress you tonight. Put on your robe again, and we'll get you dressed."

Felix happily obliges, knotting the robe around his thin waist, padding behind V as they walk through the center.

A few tributes wander past: some fresh off the train, others plucked and groomed like Felix. He catches eyes with one of them and their mentor, and quickly looks away when he sees the boy narrow his eyes into a glare.

"In here, Felix." V directs him into a small plush room. Different garments are hanging on the rack, with a sewing machine still turned on in one corner.

"District 14, the district of fishery. Tell me Felix, do you know what tributes would normally wear from your district?" V directs Felix to sit down before shuffling through the rack, drawing clothes out.

"Um..." Felix thinks back on the few games he had watched, whether from passing through the town hall and seeing it on the big screen or their small television at home.

"Fish nets. I think one year someone had to wear something inspired by that Greek god dude." Felix is frowning, and then shudders. "A lot of male nipple."

V smiles fondly. "You don't like showing your chest?"

Felix shakes his head, his face turning pink. "I don't like my tummy. It... sticks out funny."

The blue haired man chuckles. "I can relate to you on that one. Don't worry. Kookie, the stylist for the girl from your district, and I have worked hard to design this set."

V pulls out what looks like a shimmering blue suit. Felix blinks, seeing digital printed scales dotting it.

"I thought with fishing, rather than focus on what your district does, we focus on the  _what_  your district is known for."

\----------

Felix stares at himself in the mirror, barely able to recognize himself.

The blue two piece suit he wears shimmers in every colour of the rainbow as he moves. Hundreds of scales line the pant legs and jacket, with his hair carefully styled up. The jacket of the suit is a baggy fit, with one sleeve pulled back to expose his shoulder and collar bone. Gold glitter dusts the freckles, accenting them, as well as the glitter on his cheeks and eyes. Black eyeliner accents his eye shape, creating a shape he didn't think they would ever look like, and blue lipstick. Matching dress shoes are on his feet to complete the look, with comfy socks.

Too scared to touch his makeup, Felix turns slowly. " _Wow._ "

V is grinning ear to ear. "You like it?"

"I love it." He isn't wearing a shirt under the jacket, but the shape easily makes his waist look tinier and his hips flared out.

He quickly turns, before throwing his arms around a surprised V. "Thank you."

V gently pats his head, smiling fondly, trying not to ruin the style. "You're welcome, Lee Felix. We'd better make a move on. The ceremony starts in 30 minutes."

The two leave the room to collect Lisa, and Felix is stunned. She's wearing a mermaid style gown with matching print and a high collar. Her arms are sleeveless, but feminine, donned in gold jewelry and bangles. Her hair is down, with a circlet resting on her head to complete the look.

"You look amazing, Lisa." Felix grins as she twirls, excited. Her cheeks glitter with highlighter and her lips are a matching blue.

"Thank you, Felix." She smiles widely at him, and they walk to the ceremony area with V and Kookie. Lisa's stylist is a little taller than V, with bright red hair. He rests a hand on V's back as they walk.

Jaebum and Sunmi meet up with them. For the first time, Jaebum is grinning, and even Sunmi has lit up at the pair.

"V, Kookie, you did amazing." Jaebum and Sunmi lead them to their chariot, which is drawn by two white horses with blue ribbons braided into their manes. The group of adults leave, with V telling the two teenagers he will be back shortly to help them board the chariot.

Every year, the opening ceremony would feature the tributes being paraded in front of the Capital on live TV. This year was no different, with a different chariot awaiting each district. District 11, carpentry, is drawn by sandy brown horses. District 16, steel, have plain gray.

Lisa gently lets one of the horses sniff her hand, before stroking it's neck. "I've always wanted to pet a horse."

Felix smiles softly. "I've never seen one in person. Have you?"

She shakes her head. "I wish I had. They're such gentle creatures..."

While Lisa focuses on the horses, Felix quickly scans the 'backstage' area. He can hardly recognise the tributes now that they've been plucked hairless and made up. The sunny boy from District 7 still sports the very same smile, brightened by his pink lipstick. He and the female tribute are wearing matching cowboy outfits. They look slightly ridiculous in their hats.

District 3's tributes

Felix feels intimidated by the giant teenagers from the Career districts, quick to look away from them and not draw attention to himself. His eyes fall on a pair of black-clad teenagers, with Felix stiffening slightly when he feels sharp eyes piercing into him.

It's the same boy he had passed in the hallway. It took Felix a moment to realize he was Seo Changbin.

District 9 are the district of mining and coal, and both he and his female tribute are dressed accordingly. Changbin is dressed in a pitch black suit with black eyeshadow smudged around his eyes, his hair styled low above his eyes. An intimidating aura rolls off of Changbin. Felix accidentally catches his eye, and squeaks, looking away.

Lisa hears him, her eyes searching the space that Felix had quickly turned away from. "That boy with black hair is staring at you."

Felix cringes, gently running his fingers through the other horses mane. "Yeah, I know. 

V rejoins them. "Let's roll, kiddos.  It's time to board."

Grasping one of Lisa's small hands, the blue-haired stylist helps her step into the chariot, with Felix following. He frowns, helping Felix's jacket sit less wrinkled off his shoulder.

"What should we do out there?" Felix whispers the words, hearing the crowd roar to life as the door opens. District 1 began pulling out, the tributes gripping hands and grinning at the crowd, with District 2 following close behind. 

V thinks quickly, his brow furrowing. "Smile and wave, but play along with the crowd. Kookie added an extra touch, and told me your outfits are really going to wow them."

That confuses Felix even more, and he feels the lurch of the chariot as it begins to follow the brick-dressed District 13. V jumps off, winking at them as they leave. Felix quickly grips the front railing until he feels comfortable to let go, passing through the huge doors.

Felix's mouth drops open in surprise, looking up at the population of the Capital.

They're screaming and waving at the tributes, but all eyes quickly move from District 13 to them, a collective gasp and murmuring unfurling. It startles Felix, until he sees Lisa's eyes travel to him, and his travel down to her dress. 

"Felix," she whispers, amazed. "We're glowing."

The material that their clothes are made from don't just reflect light: they absorb it, shining bright under the strong street lights above, leaving behind a cape of rainbow light behind them. Shimmering bright in every colour, Felix's gold covered freckles blink like constellations in the night sky.

He quickly remembers V's words, and raises a hand to the crowd. A bright, beaming smile pulls across his cheeks, the glitter sparkling as he does. His other hand reaches out, grasping Lisa's, and she quickly smiles and waves alongside him.

The sea of different coloured hair and fancy clothes are screaming for them, chanting their names and throwing hundreds of flowers, some of which land straight in their chariot. The Capital populations faces are pulled into gleaming smiles, and Felix feels strange in the pit of his stomach.

They really liked them. V and Kookie had done amazing work. 

The chariot pulls to a stop on the main stage, next to District 13, before being followed by District 15. The crowd settles for a moment, before the Capital president takes to the mic on the balcony above them.

"Welcome, tributes!"

Roars from the crowd follow the words, and the older man raises a hand to quiet them.

Park Jinyoung, the president of the Capital, is smiling down at them. A hint of dark emotion is in his eyes as he looks down to them, eyes landing hungrily on each teenager. Felix feels his stomach harden for a moment. This man was the successor of the last President, the one who invented the punishment of the Hunger Games and fought against the rebelling districts.

The man before him was a murderer, having continued the games on for 16 years after the last President's death.

"I hope you are all loving the Capital as much as we love having you. Am I right, Capital?"

The crowd screams in response, the screens above showcasing each of the Districts as the national anthem begins to play. All rise for the song, hand over heart. He stands firmly, but when Felix's face suddenly appears on the screen, he feels his heart stop for a moment. He understands now why the Capital would remember his name, and why the other tributes had stared at him so much.

The freckles on his face aren't just shining from the glitter. They're literally twinkling like stars, in a pattern, ghosting a constellation on his cheek. He recognises it, remembering Chan teaching him about it years ago.

_"That's the Southern Cross," Chan whispers to Felix. The younger blonde is only 13 here, shivering under the blanket Chan had tucked around them. They're sitting outside on the rocks, the waves quietly crashing around them to break the tranquillity of night. "If you ever get lost, you can use it to guide yourself home, just like how the sailors and pirates used to."_

Felix swallows hard, watching the camera angle change to showcase a black-haired girl from 12. The national anthem finally dies down, everybody cheering and lowering themselves into their seat.

"This year is a very special year to us: the 50th Anniversary, our exhilarating Quarter Quell!" JYP's smile widens, his eyes creasing. "We have a very special rule added to the Games, which I will describe now."

On the screen, the 15 districts and each tribute are shown, an image of each of them he didn't remember them having taken appearing on the screen. The crowd roars in response as JYP unfolds a golden piece of card.

"'As a reminder of how the rebelling districts worked together against the Capital, tributes will be randomly allocated a partner for the games. The two tributes must live and breath as one person until and during the games. They will be judged as one, fight as one and fall as one."

Felix feels his heart race, Jinyoung Park throwing a hand up.

"Now, we will learn of the teams for this Quarter Quell!"

The images on the screen jump around, randomly being selected into teams. Felix watches Lisa's image fall next to the girl from District 3, Kim Jennie, and his eyes scan the screen as he watches his own fall into place next to the boy from District 9's. 

He feels his blood run suddenly cold, remembering the glares from across the room, the cold stares. His dark eyes roam the stage, locking onto Changbin. He's frowning at the screen, dark eyebrows furrowed.

 The odds definitely weren't in Felix's favour.

 


	4. Chapter 4

The chariots make one last lap of the stage before heading inside another building, which Felix is sooned informed that it's called the 'Training Centre'.

Felix gently grips Lisa's hand when the chariot pulls to a stop, with Jaebum and Sunmi approaching them from inside. After being allocated into teams, a worried feeling had settled into his stomach, but seeing their wide smiles it changes into small butterflies.

"You both looked fantastic out there. Well done." Jaebum helps the two down, staff members leading the horses away.

"So, the team thing--"

"Jaebum." Felix is cut off by a short man approaching them, grasping his mentor's shoulder. His catlike eyes crinkle as he smiles. "We meet again."

"Yoongi," he curtly nods, taking note of the sour boy trailing behind him. "Seo Changbin, is it?"

Felix swallows hard, catching his dark eyes for a moment before looking down. His hand remains linked with Lisa's, who gently squeezes it.

"This Training Centre was built specifically for the Quarter Quell," Jaebum explains, frowning, before holding out his wrist. It's etched with red.

"At the elevator there is a system that scans and identifies you, and implants a chip in your arm." He looks visibly irritated. "To prevent Tributes from crossing between teams, you may only go to your allocated floor and the training facilities. This chip makes sure of that."

Felix feels nervous, looking at the slightly raised skin. The blonde had never ridden in an elevator before.

In an alarmed tone, Lisa asks what he had also been thinking. "What happens if we try to go to another floor?"

"Nothing," Jaebum says, chuckling. "It just says access denied. However, the elevator won't move without one. It seems a bit silly, forcing even the mentors to need these chips."

"Oh..." Felix frowns, running his fingers through his blonde hair. Sunmi wraps an arm around Lisa's shoulders.

"I'd better take Lisa over to Jennie," she says gently, noting how Felix hadn't let go of his hold on her. Embarrassed, he unlaces their fingers, Changbin's eyes travelling slightly to Felix's face.

"I'll see you later, Felix." Lisa's words are half hearted, and she pushes a smile onto her face as she's led away. This leaves Jaebum, Yoongi, Felix and Changbin to make their way to the elevator.

The ground floor of the Training Centre is very fancy but very empty, with Peacekeepers lining either side of the elevator door. There is no front desk, and the only way in and out of the building is locked with the same scanning system. Felix shivers despite warmth filling the room from heated vents, realizing they were very much trapped here until the games began.

Yoongi approaches the scanning system at the elevator, inputting his name and placing his wrist under the allocated space. He stares directly into a camera, deadpan. It beeps, confirming his identity, and the machine stamps his wrist. He barely twitches.

"Felix," Jaebum prompts, and the blonde eyes the machine suspiciously. "Your turn."

"I'll go first," Changbin growls, pushing past them. He shoves his wrist under, inputting his name like how Yoongi had done, staring blankly at the camera. After a few seconds, it beeps, stamping his wrist. He flinches, but doesn't move otherwise.

"Okay," Jaebum says, frowning slightly at Changbin. "Quickly, now. I'm sure you want to get changed."

Felix hesitates, before sliding his arm under the machine. He frowns at the letters, trying to recognize them.

"Um..." He taps them out slowly, trying to remember his mother writing his name down for him years ago. The letters seemed to jumble in his head. He recognised a couple of the numbers, and they looked like what had been written down. L. 3. F. 3. I. O. K. The machine angrily beeps.

"What's wrong?" Jaebum frowns, seeing how a line was beginning to form behind them. District 10 and District 4's mixed male team stand behind, patiently waiting.

"I can't remember how to spell my name," he mumbles, cheeks red as he tries again. "I think I remember." 

L. 3. A?

"You're pressing the numbers, idiot," Changbin mumbles, grasping his hand to stop him. He types in his name for him quickly. Felix's cheeks darken as the machine reads his face and scans his skin. It beeps, and stamps his wrist.

Felix yelps in pain. It felt worse than accidentally getting your hand caught in between rope. It both burned and stung, and his eyes water.

The elevator trip is silent, save for Jaebum and Yoongi quietly talking between themselves about a potential strategy. Felix stares out the window. You can see the Capital streets get smaller and smaller as they go higher and higher, and Felix feels his stomach lurch as the elevator pulls to a stop.

The floor they are allocated is large and spacious, with a living space, a warm shared bedroom for him and his team mate, a bathroom, a balcony overlooking the city. The second he and Changbin are left alone, Felix throws himself into bed, sighing contentedly despite smearing makeup on the pillow. He was exhausted.

Changbin remains silent, simply sitting on his own bed. Felix rolls over, startled by his glare at the blonde. It's enhanced by his dark makeup.

"Um, so Changbinnie--" Felix starts, smiling softly, but is cut off quickly.

" _Don't_  call me that," he growls, the temperature in the room dropping by 10 degrees, and an awkward silence falls over the two. "Let me make this clear to you now. You and I, we aren't a team. We aren't friends. I-- I work alone."

Changbin's words are fast and blunt, and he turns away from the blonde. Felix's smile quickly drops. The black-haired boy's arms are folded, any form of openness closed away from Felix. "This whole Quarter Quell is bullshit. First they pit the districts against each, now they suddenly want us to work as a team? No way. I'll... I'll kill you myself if I have to."

The blondes blood runs cold. He knew attacking another tribute before the games was a death sentence, as proven years back by a tribute from District 3, so for now he was safe. Changbin couldn't be serious.

"But we're going to have to," Felix whispers. "At least for training."

They both had overheard what Jaebum and Yoongi had been discussing: their tributes strengths. Normally after three days of training, tributes would be judged and allocated a score. This time, both tributes would be judged and given a single shared score.

"Who cares," Changbin mumbles and  crawls under the covers of his bed, visibly upset. He doesn't even bother to get changed out of his clothes. "I don't have anything I want show the game makers, anyway."

Taking in his words, Felix slips out of his bed to take a shower.

With the door locked behind him, Felix's face falls. First he was separated from Lisa, someone he had quickly become friends with, and now his very scary team mate definitely didn't like him. He wondered if she was in a similar boat, or if she and her team mate created an alliance.

Like how they were supposed to.

Great. Tears collect in his eyes as he turns on the shower tap.

Felix wished he had Chan here with him. Then he wouldn't feel so lonely.

\----------

"Rise and shine, Team Changlix!"

Felix groans when a high pitched excited voice cuts through his sleep, pulling the cover over his head to protect himself from the light and sound.

"What the  _hell_ did you just call us?" Changbin's voice is low and rough, and he sounds incredulous.

"Changlix! Changbin plus Felix! Ooh, I've been coming up with team names all morning." Felix sheds his protective blanket to identify the woman, and isn't surprised when he sees Hyunah. She was friendly, but maybe a little too excited about the games.

The two had skipped dinner, since Changbin was fast asleep when Felix returned from his shower. He had taken it as his opportunity to also sleep, knowing he wouldn't be able to with the scary boy still awake. The black-haired boy looks haggard, black eyeshadow and eyeliner smeared on his face with his hair sticking up in every direction.

"It's time to get up and go, go, go! Training begins today!" Hyunah shuts the door, leaving the boys in peace to get ready.

Changbin scowls at the door, ignoring Felix as he gets up out of bed. The bathroom door shuts, and he can hear the shower running. Felix takes this moment to get dressed into a plain tshirt and pants, similar to what he would wear at home in District 14.

He heads to the living area for breakfast, and is a little disappointed that Jaebum isn't there. Instead, V, Hyunah and Yoongi are seated at the table.

"Where's my mentor?" Felix frowns, after bowing to the adults and sitting at the table.

"He had some business to attend to this morning," V explains, dishing Felix some rice and beef.  "How are you and your team mate getting along?"

Felix gives him a pained look, which says it all to V and Yoongi. Changbin's mentor chuckles. "He's a prickly one, isn't he? It's fair enough, given his history."

History? Felix frowns, but doesn't question Yoongi due to the disgruntled Changbin joining them.

He looks fresher with all of his makeup off, hair clean and changed into normal clothes. It somehow makes him look much younger. Felix is taken aback by his soft skin and long eyelashes, accidentally goggling at the boy until Changbin notices his eyes on him. The black-haired boy growls at him, and Felix squeaks, focusing on his breakfast.

"So you can use chopsticks, but you can't read?" Changbin doesn't even bother to say hello, he just gets straight to the point of being excessively rude to Felix. Hyunah is surprised by his tone, a tiny hand covering her mouth in shock.

The blonde bites his lip, bothered by the question. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Changbin shrugs, focusing on his own breakfast. V glances between the two, an eyebrow raised.

"Sorry, Felix, Changbin seems to have forgotten his manners. A little teamwork will do you good." Yoongi's words are firm. "Remember what we spoke about on the train?"

He winces at that. "...Yes."

A silence falls over the table as they finish their meal. Felix is mildly surprised by how quiet the black-haired boy becomes.  Whatever they had discussed must have hit a nerve in Changbin, as he stays silent up until their trip down the elevator.

It's just Felix and Changbin alone during the ride down. Felix focuses on the surroundings outside. The Capital looked different during the day. The streets were bustling with cars and pedestrians, which was different to the morning in District 14. He wondered what Chan and his mother were doing today. By now, he and Chan normally would have headed to the docks to start work, and his mother would have received laundry to clean and iron.

"I'm sorry I was rude to you this morning."

Felix is startled by the sudden apology, looking over to see Changbin staring at him. His tone has softened, and his ears are turning pink. Before he can respond, Changbin quietly asks a question. "...So, why can't you read?"

The blonde shrugs, watching the numbers change as the elevator moves. "We don't have school in District 14. It wasn't important to learn letters, only numbers, which my cousin Channie taught me."

Changbin slowly nods, as if retaining that to his memory. A ding sound rings out, and the elevator door opens to the basement where the training centre lies. Felix's mouth drops open. 

The room is  _huge_. It's like a giant gymnasium, full of weapons, obstacle courses and private rooms. The other tributes are waiting in a row, similarly dressed to them in comfortable clothing. Coloured bands are wrapped around their upper arms. Reds, blues, greens. Felix sees Lisa, and waves, standing next to her. He notes the yellow band wrapping around her arm.

"How did you sleep?" He asks, seeing Jennie standing close to her.

"Alright," Lisa smiles, her eyes crinkling.

He notes that a few of the others, mainly the Careers, are shooting him dirty looks.  Felix tries to ignore it, training his eyes on Lisa's face. She glances around, before standing on her tippy toes and cupping her hand around his ear.

"Jennie told me they're upset that we drew so much attention yesterday. We were the crowd favourites, according to their mentors."

Felix raises an eyebrow at her words. He highly doubted  _they_ were the favourites. Yesterday, the Careers had been dressed intimidatingly. The large boy from District 3, who he had forgotten the name of, was wearing an army uniform that shaped amazingly around his biceps. It made Felix feel things he had never felt before.

"They don't like your freckles. Jennie kept calling it a skin condition."

Felix doesn't know what to say in response. Instead, he furrows his brow and tries not to laugh. A staff member dressed in red wraps a black band around his arm, and a matching one around Changbin's.

The wealthier districts not liking Felix made him nervous. He wasn't very strong, nor trained in any type of combat. He'd have to find a way to fly under the radar from now on.

They were almost the last people, with a few other stragglers arriving shortly after. Felix takes a moment to appreciate that even though he is a lot skinnier than the rest of the group, he's nowhere near the smallest. A boy with braces, paired up with the boy from District 7, looks to be the youngest. A tall man with cropped hair approaches the group.

He greets them, introducing himself as 'Kim Namjoon', before launching into explaining the training schedule to them. Experts were roaming around the room, trained in different skill sets. Swordplay, self defence, hand to hand combat. There were even stations for survival skills, like tying ropes and starting fires. 

"And, remember, no fighting other tributes." Namjoon smiles stiffly, a dimple appearing.  "There will be plenty of time for that in the arena."

Felix swallows hard at his words, feeling the eyes of the bigger tributes boring into him and Lisa. Namjoon releases the group, and the teams move around the area. Some go straight for the deadly weapons, picking them up to have a feel for the weight.  The huge teenager from 1 picks up an axe, throwing it straight into the middle of a mannequin.

Lisa and Jennie wander over to the obstacle course to run through it.

"Where should we st--"

Felix turns around, but sees Changbin has already left to wander to the survival area away from the other tributes. He sighs deeply, quickly following him.

"Changbin, where do you wanna start?" He catches up to the boy at the herbal recognition station, as he stops to look at the leaves.

"I work alone." The black haired boy reminds him, looking annoyed. Felix wants to shake him. He'd gone from being rude to being kind to being rude again, all in the span of an hour.

"I don't wanna be doing it alone" Felix explains, almost pleading at this point. "Please, Changbinnie. All the other teams are working together."

The nickname Felix had adopted slips out again, and Changbin looks at him coldly. "Why don't you just train with your  _friend_  from your district?"

He turns on his heel, picking up a bow and arrow set from a rack and heading into one of the private rooms.

Felix sighs.

It was going to be a long training session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> henlo friends, I hope you're enjoying this <3 again its on both wattpad and archive of our own! lemme know what u think, or if you spot any mistakes


	5. Chapter 5

Felix ended up training with Lisa and Jennie for the day, climbing rope ladders that spun around and learning to make fire for most of the day. He stayed clear of weapons, a little intimidated by the other's picking up quickly on how to use them. The boy from 12, the district of lumber, quickly picks up on how to use the tool he's familiar with as a weapon. The girl from 6 seems to have a liking to knives, and Felix can see her handling them multiple times throughout the day.

People dressed in purple would watch them from booths above. Some would take notes, others would watch them like hawks. Felix had fallen off the rock climbing wall at one point: he'd misjudged the space between one rock to another. It resulted in him smashing his elbow on the concrete ground as he fell. Gasping in pain, he could hazily see them looking disappointed as they wrote presumably about him.

Lisa had worked very hard, becoming proficient in self defense and swordplay like Jaebum had recommended she did. She sparred with the trainer, delighted when she finally managed to win, pinning him down. The purple clad people had written down a lot while looking at her.

During lunch, the blonde had eaten with Lisa and Jennie, as well as another team Lisa had befriended during her sparring. He was ravenous for the food, which was a selection of  breads, meats and cheeses.

"Ooh, this meat was super hard to farm in our district," the brown haired boy across from him says, eyeing the marbling meat.

"District 7, hey? Farming." Felix raises an eyebrow at him, noting his chubby cheeks and squirrel like complexion.

He nods, before suddenly starting. "Yeah. Oh, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Han Jisung."

Jisung wipes his hand on his pants before reaching out, giving Felix a handshake. The small boy next to him shyly smiles.

"I'm Yang Jeongin. I think you were really brave to volunteer for your brother."

"Oh, thank you!" Felix instantly likes the small boy, seeing how his smile widens and flashes metal. The blonde vaguely remembers seeing his reaping back on the train. "You have braces?"

"Ah, yeah. I'm from the medicine district. My parents are dentists." He fumbles over his words, embarrassed.

"I'm  _jealous_. My teeth are messed up." Felix shows Jeongin how his teeth twist the wrong way in certain locations, making the younger boy laugh and smile.

He liked Jisung and Jeongin, a lot.

At the end of the day, Felix felt like he had wasted his training. He was currently at the knot tying section after failing the obstacle course, trying to work out a trap that would catch a tribute off guard and pick them up from the ground.

He's kneeling, fiddling with the knot, frowning when it keeps pulling loose.

"You're doing it the wrong way," he hears a voice mumble from next to him, and strong hands slide over his own. The blonde glances up, surprised to see Changbin moving his fingers to show him how to tie it.

"Oh. Thank you." Felix looks down at Changbin's work, seeing how it would now tighten when stepped in.

For the whole day, Changbin had been cooped up in a private room. Even during their one hour lunch break, he hadn't come to join them. He had only left to swap weapons, and watch Felix with mild interest.

Felix had seen him take knives, a sword, different axes and a crossbow into the room. He could tell his proficiency was with the bow and arrow he originally took in with him. A private trainer had stayed with him, and through the window Felix had seen Changbin shooting mannequins through the head. It had made him shiver.

Felix moves onto the next knot, one to be used to make your own net, and Changbin tsks him. "Its under, then over."

The blonde's cheeks redden, and Changbin settles next to him. He shows him how to tie the knot nice and tight, moving Felix's fingers so he would remember how to do it. After a few tries, he's managing to tie the rest of the net properly.

"I thought you didn't want to work as a team," Felix mumbles, not looking up. Changbin, who had absentmindedly been making his own net, pauses.

The black-haired boy seems to hesitate before speaking. "Yoongi came to meet me just after lunch. He'd overheard the game makers. You have been scoring really low, and then I have been scoring really high. I saw your fall, too. Looked painful."

Felix rolls his eyes. So those purple dressed people were the  _game_ _makers_. "Great. Thanks, it was."

"Tomorrow, let's train together. You need to learn how to use a weapon." Changbin stands up, holding a hand out to Felix. He looks at him suspiciously before taking it, letting the shorter boy hoist him up.

They head upstairs for dinner together, where only Jaebum is there to join them. He quizzes Felix excessively regarding his training, to which the blonde boy gives halfhearted responses, too tired to confess that he hadn't been good at anything. Changbin stays quiet the whole dinner.

The black-haired boy excuses himself early to shower before bed, leaving Jaebum and Felix alone at the table together. He leans forward, lowering his voice.

"I was told that he didn't train with you today. Your team was the only one not cooperating."

Felix cringes, bothered that Changbin's hot and cold attitude was that noticeable. "He doesn't seem to like me very much, Jaebum-hyung, nor is he taking the Quarter Quell rules very seriously. I think he wants to train together tomorrow, only because our score is low."

Jaebum frowns at that, before sighing and leaning back. He drums his fingers on the table.

"Try talking to him tonight. Remember, you want to be confident and likeable to your sponsors. Try that with Changbin. Get on his good side."

Felix slowly nods, before padding to their shared room. He startles when he sees the room is empty, but is relieved when he sees Changbin outside on the balcony.

He's leaning on the railing, arms crossed with his chin resting on them. The irritable teenager seems to be thinking hard as he watches the Capital party below them.

"Hey, Changbin."

The black-haired boy raises his head to look at Felix, dark eyes glassy from the lights below. "Felix."

As he joins his team mate at the railing, Felix realizes that that was the first time Changbin had used his name.

"Don't want to sleep just yet?"

"No. It's too early."

They stay in silence for a while.

"So, um," Felix starts, remembering Jaebum's words.  _Confident and likeable._  He deepens his voice slightly. "Isn't it a bit silly to let tributes on a balcony like this? We could just jump off."

Changbin stares at him for a moment. "There's a force field. It'll throw you right back."

"Oh."

The silence immediately gets awkward.

"Do you... only want to train together to raise our score?" The question had been on his mind since Changbin's offer at the knot tying area.

Changbin frowns. "Yep."

Ouch.

The silence thickens, and Changbin speaks again. "...I also don't really want you to instantly die in the arena. You need to learn to protect yourself."

Oh.

"Ah, thank you."

Felix watches two people walking arm in arm below them, laughing. They seem to be drunk.

"Why don't you like me, Changbin?"

The words come out quite suddenly, surprising both the black-haired boy and himself. He instantly looks uncomfortable, his ears reddening.

"I barely even know you."

Felix presses his lips into a thin line when Changbin dodges the question. "This entire day, you've been jumping from being rude and ignoring me to suddenly wanting to talk to me. Why?"

He can see Changbin is getting irritated. His eyebrows are knitting together.

"Because you're an idiot," he finally mumbles, turning to leave.

Changbin sits on his bed, facing away from Felix when he follows him inside. Again, closed away from all conversation. Felix was ready to give up at this point. He's about to enter the bathroom to shower when the sour boy finally speaks again, shaking slightly.

"You... You volunteered for someone. Someone who is stronger than you, who has a higher chance of winning. Why?"

Felix is thrown off by the question, noting how the black haired boy refuses to look at him. His skin prickles. "...I'd do anything for Chan."

"It was dumb of you to do that. What a waste."

The harshness of Changbin's words upset him, more than any other word that had tumbled out of his mouth before now. He's seeing red, letting all of his feelings boil over. Leaving Chan behind at home. The separation anxiety. Hell, even the feelings from years ago, when he lost his father at sea. Everything comes to the surface, bubbling, and before he can stop himself he's striding over to Changbin.

Changbin seems taken aback as the blonde grasps his shoulders, leaning in and seething.

"Yes, it was dumb, but I'm not about to let the person I consider a brother to me  _die_." The words come out as a hiss, and he pushes the black-haired teenager backwards. He's startled by the sudden reaction, catching himself on his elbows. "Not like you'd ever understand that feeling."

Felix spins around, his words venemous. He slams the bathroom door behind him, not caring about how loud it was.

He sobs as he gets under the spray of water, letting the shower wash away his tears as he curls up on the tiled floor.

The words Changbin had uttered echo in his head.

' _What a waste.'_

_\----------_

Felix ends up spending a long time in the shower, mainly just sitting on the floor and thinking. He's startled when he sees Changbin sitting up in bed, wide awake. The room is dark, the light from the bathroom casting a shadow across his face.

Feigning confidence, Felix hurriedly gets changed into soft clothes called pyjama and sits on the edge of his bed, toweling off his blonde hair. He wasn't going to apologize for shouting at the boy from District 9, instead deciding he would just sleep and focus on training alone again tomorrow.

Felix knew how Changbin felt about him now, after all."

"My best friend volunteered for me and died during the games."

Felix nearly drops his towel, looking over at Changbin in surprise as he suddenly speaks. He's staring at a point on the wall, his eyes unmoving, but there is a hidden pained emotion swimming beneath the dark irises.

"His name was Hwang Hyunjin. He was a finalist in the 48th Hunger Games. Hyunjinnie died when a person he had allied with turned on him. The person who ended up winning."

Felix stiffens, remembering the games from two years ago. He had only just turned fifteen, but who had time to celebrate when the Hunger Games were forcefully aired on every television set? When he wasn't avoiding the games with Chan, he saw that it was set in a snowy mountain setting. Most tributes froze to death within the first night.

He remembered that winner was from District 8, and he had vanished  
last year due to the backlash he had recieved.

"Changbin--"

He ignores Felix, tears collecting in the corners of his eyes. "You're right, I'll never know what it's like. I've... never had a real family, y'know? Hyunjinnie was the only person who ever cared for me, and he threw his life away because of it. Only-- Only for me to be selected again. I'm eighteen. I was so close to being too old for the games."

He seems to be struggling to hold it together as the words gush out of him. Felix hesitates before trekking across the room. He sits on the bed, gently collecting one of Changbin's hands in his own. The black-haired boy flinches slightly at the touch, especially when Felix gently rests his head on his shoulder. He used to do the same for Chan, when he was vulnerable and it was just the two of them.

He gently massaged circles into the back of Changbin's hand. He felt a little strange doing something so intimate with someone he had only known for a day, but it felt right. "Your friend Hyunjinnie was so brave to do that," Felix whispers. "It wasn't a waste to try to save you."

"But it was." Changbin's voice cracks, wavering under the stress of holding back tears. "He's-- He's gone. And now... your cousin is going to be all alone, too."

Felix feels pained by that, the thought of dying. He reaches up to gently run his fingers through Changbin's hair, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. The black haired boy is sniffling now, tears dribbling down his cheeks. No wonder Changbin had reacted so negatively to being chosen.

Changbin felt like he had to live, for Hyunjin's sake. And, from the sounds of it, he didn't want a repeat of his mistake during the games.

Felix decides to focus on what's happening right now, rather than what will happen during the games or how the elder had acted before. He settles into the bed with Changbin, wrapping his arms around him and letting the black-haired boy bury his face into his neck.

"It'll be okay," Felix murmurs, Changbin finally letting all of his feelings out to him.

Like Yoongi had said that morning, it all made sense when you knew what he had gone through.

Felix quietly prayed that Chan wouldn't blame himself if the younger didn't make it.

\----------

Waking up the next morning with his face pressed into the elders chest, Felix didn't blame Changbin for quickly untangling himself from the blonde to shower.

Something unspoken had changed in their relationship overnight, which was noticeable by Jaebum and Yoongi at the breakfast table. Changbin had dished up Felix's food for him before making up his own plate, quietly talking the younger boy through what he was planning for their training session today.

Jaebum had simply raised an eyebrow at Felix, silently questioning him. He shrugged in response.

Felix liked to think he and Changbin were at least team mates now.

They made an early start on training, arriving well before most of the other teams. Changbin drags Felix over to the weapons table the moment the elevator doors slide open.

"Are there any you're taking a liking to?"

Felix bites his lip, thinking hard. He hesitates, before picking up a shield.

The black haired boy grasps it from him, bemused. "I meant the stabby kill-y type, moron."

His insults are somehow more affectionate, and Felix rolls his eyes in response. "Stabby kill-y?"

"You heard me."

Humming in thought, the blonde freckled boy carefully picks up a trident.

He remembered how Jaebum had told him to invest in long range weapons, but holding the heavy metal in his arm took a bit of work.

A private trainer takes him aside, showing him a proper stance in order to distribute the weight of the metal. Changbin watches as Felix struggles to stab outwards with it against the mannequin, practicing on his own with a bow and arrow.

They practice next to each other for an hour, Felix's arm sore from repeatedly moving the weapon. They then swap: Felix with the bow, and Changbin with the trident. Other tributes had joined them now, Lisa waving at Felix as she passes him.

He's shaky with the bow, needing the trainer to show him exactly how to hold it. Another team, a boy and a girl, had approached to also learn the bow. He can see the trainer is struggling to teach them all at once.

"Here, let me help you." Changbin grips Felix's arm, pulling him to the other side of the room away from the other team. He slots his hands over Felix's, resting his body flat against his back. He can feel Changbin's breath on his neck, and he shivers.

"So you hold it  _here_ ," he murmurs, moving Felix's right hand into a divot, holding the arrow in place, and then Felix's left to pull the string back. "Close an eye. It'll help you aim."

He frowns, doing so, concentrating hard on his target as Changbin slips away from him. His back feels colder with the elder away from him. "When you're ready, shoot."

The blonde releases the arrow, watching it sail across the room and slam into the mannequins chest. He'd been aiming for the head, but felt a bubble of pride spill in his chest for at least hitting it.

"Nice," Changbin compliments. "Let's go again."

He practices with the bow until lunch time, excited when he starts to get the hang of it, but Felix knows he's nowhere near as talented at it as Changbin.

"How'd you get so good at the bow?" They sit down for lunch, which is a mix of soup and rice dishes today. Changbin seemed wary of the other tributes, so he and Felix sat alone away from the others. Lisa had smiled at him from across the room, in understanding.

Changbin shrugs. "I used to use a sling to kill birds to eat. It's not super different."

Felix raises an eyebrow. "To eat?"

"Yeah, or to trade. Minors aren't allowed to work in the mines in my district." He mumbles the words, digging into his meal. No wonder he was so skinny.

"Oh, that's fair. Minors aren't allowed to work the boats in my district." That hadn't stopped Chan from sneaking on board to work alongside his late father, though. Thank God he hadn't been on the boat during the accident.

After finishing their meal, they take to the obstacle course. Felix successfully climbs the rock wall this time, despite his sore arm muscles from training hard with the weapons that morning.

They continue training hard, knowing full well it was their last day to train independently like this.

Back on their team floor, Yoongi grills them about their progress over dinner alongside an excited Hyunah.

"It's important for your private session that you show the game makers something they haven't seen yet," he explains. "Is there anything you guys haven't done yet? Any hidden talents you've yet to show?"

Felix frowns, racking his memory. There wasn't anything in the gym he felt like he could show them.

Something clicked in his mind. "There's a swimming pool that nobody has used yet... I want to use that."

Changbin looks at him curiously. "You're going to swim during our private session?"

"You'll see." He wiggles his eyebrows at the black-haired boy, who rolls his eyes.

"I've got something I can do, too," the black haired boy mumbles, thinking hard. "I've been saving it for the private session."

Felix raises an eyebrow at that, quickly listing the weapons Changbin had gone through during training in his head. What could it be?

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope yall dont mind the soft changlix moment. from the looks of it, they're getting along good right now! lemme know what you're thinking


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just so you guys know I spent a good twenty minutes just trying to describe a milkshake, which is aussie slang for being thrown by two people by your arms and legs, without calling it a milkshake

 

On the third and final day of training, teams are slowly called out after lunch to enter the training room.

The first team was called just as Felix had an put a whole orange slice in his mouth to grin at Jeongin with, and he nearly choked on it.

Whether it was at random or intentional, Felix and Changbin waited a long time in mostly silence as the other teams filed in first. The career teams seemed to be the ones going first, and the two managed to get a good idea for the teams. The bulky boy from 1 was paired with the tiny red haired girl from 10. The smart girl from 4 was with the short boy from 5.

Jisung waves to Felix as he and Jeongin pass, being called in. He wondered what they were going to show.

"Nervous?"

Lisa takes a seat next to him, smiling. Instead of being in its signature ponytail, she had braided it back and low.

"A bit," he says, as the next team is called. Jackson Wang and Park Jihyo.

Theres only four more teams remaining now, with 11 having already gone through. The blonde felt more and more worried as time ticked past.

What if it was too boring? He'd gotten dressed this morning into shorts and a shirt in preparation. He gently reaches out to grip Lisa's hand, and she smiles, squeezing it.

After a few minutes, Lisa and Jennie are called in, and she gives his shoulder an affectionate squeeze before heading in. 3 left.

Changbin seemed bothered by Lisa's temporary presence, his arms folded.

"So, what's your relationship with her?"

"Huh?"

The black haired boy seems irritated. "You and the girl from your district. You always hold hands with her."

Felix can see him scowling, his leg jiggling up and down. The blonde chuckles.

"I've known Lisa since we were little. We're friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

He seems to relax slightly at that.

Their names are called, and they hurriedly head into the room.

It's strange seeing the room so empty. The survival stations were packed away, leaving a large empty space in the centre.

"State your names." A bored game maker speaks into a mouth piece, the sound blasting across the room. At least ten are above them, drinking and laughing, with only the single game maker paying attention.

"Seo Changbin and Lee Felix." The black haired boy quickly responds. The game maker waves at them to begin, looking like he'd much rather be enjoying the party happening behind him than watching them.

Felix walks with Changbin to the weapons rack, watching him pick up a sword, a set of arrows and a length of wire. "Aren't they all supposed to be watching?"

Jaebum had told him that morning over breakfast to focus on holding his breath for as long as he could. The game makers would probably be impressed if they could see the length of time he could spend under there, but his mentor had warned him they may lose concentration towards the end of the day.

He understood now what Jaebum meant.

"What are you going to do?" Felix quizzes, seeing him wrapping the wire around the steel sword.

"My thing. Go head into the pool."

The blonde rolls his eyes, before heading to the edge of the tiled pool. It was long enough to be considered a pool made for laps, and tucked away into the very corner of the training centre. He positions himself to dive in, spending a moment to see if the game makers are watching.

They're not, they're more invested in trying to make a pyramid out of drink coasters.

Felix frowns, but dives in anyway with a loud splash. He treads water for a moment, marvelling in the cool clean water on his skin, before ducking his head under.

He sinks down to the bottom, a few bubbles escaping his mouth, and opens his eyes under the water. Felix felt more at home here, seeing the surface of the water ripple and reflect the light above, and feeling the weightlessness of his fluffy hair floating around him.

If he imagined hard enough, he could almost see the little fish from District 14 swim around him. The waters weren't even nearly as clear as this, but it didn't stop him from opening his eyes to look at the ocean floor stretch out before him.

He missed swimming. During winter it was awful to do, with the water being warmer than the freezing temperature that settled over their district. During summer, however, Felix had fond memories of spending his days swimming with other kids from his district. Before Woojin lost his ability to walk, he would always beg for him and Chan to toss him into the water from the rocks. He would scream with joy every time, as Woojin and Chan would grasps his arms or legs each and hoist him into the waves.

He'd been underwater for a little while now, but didn't feel the pressure that he needed to breathe. So, Felix waits a little longer, watching the ripples. He frowns when he sees glowing orange appear from the edge where Changbin is, but figures it's just his private strategy.

A couple of minutes pass, and Felix can feel the pressure building as he slowly releases air from his lungs. Deciding it definitely should have been long enough for them to judge him, he kicks off the floor of the pool to come back to the surface.

Felix is met with a sight he wasn't expecting when he blinks the water out of his eyes.

Mannequins and targets are on fire, arrows shot into them deeply. Changbin is nowhere to be seen.

The game makers seem very angry, and at first he doesnt understand why until he sees the smouldering remains of curtains behind them. A servant is blasting it with a fire extinguisher.

"You may be dismissed, Lee Felix."

He hurriedly climbs out of the pool, wrapping a towel around himself and leaving to go to their floor.

Where was Changbin?

None of the adults are there when he arrives, probably not expecting them back for a little while longer. Padding through the rooms, Felix is relieved to see Changbin curled up in his bed.

"Why did you leave early?"

The black haired boy responds with a sigh, but doesn't speak otherwise. Felix startles when he sees harsh red burns on his forearms.

"Changbin, your arms! Should I get a healer or--"

"No," he growls. "I deserve it."

The blonde frowns. He's still dripping wet in his clothes, and peels off his shirt. "Did you mess up?" He quietly asks, and Changbin grunts in response.

As Felix fumbles around for new button up shirt and shorts, with his back facing the elder, Changbin stays silent. It's only when he turns around does he see the guilt on his face.

"What happened?" Felix is worried now, and sits on the edge of Changbin's bed.

"I kind of yelled at the game makers."

The blonde quirks an eyebrow at this. Knowing Changbin's temper, he wasn't surprised by this. "Oh. So you were dismissed early?"

"Yes." He shuts his eyes, reclining against the pillows. "...I got mad because they were ignoring you. At first, I thought they just weren't interested, but then started laughing at you the longer you were underwater for. They were placing bets that you weren't going to come back up. I shot a bunch of my fire arrows into their curtain and gym in response. They didn't like it very much."

Felix gapes at him.

"Changbin! You can't just _do_ that."

"Who cares if I can't, because I did." He snaps the words, but the guilty look remains. "...I'm worried about the scoring now. I'm sorry if I messed it up for us."

Felix couldn't care less about their score, knowing he probably would have scored low regardless.

"What if they kill you?" Felix whispers, sitting on his bed to look closer at the burns lacing the black-haired boys arms.

"It would be a bit silly to do that so close to the games."

Changbin sounds confident, yet continues to look guilty. He draws his arms away, standing up and walking out of the room. "It's not me I'm worried about them hurting."

Felix frowns, but follows.

The two boys wait at the dinner table for their mentors, not saying much between themselves. Meat and rice is served to them by servants, who normally were so still Felix didn't notice them.

Finally, Jaebum and a disgruntled Yoongi join them. The television in the corner of the room is on, waiting for the scores to be revealed. Later, V and the stylist of District 9 would come by to discuss their interview outfits.

"So, how did it go?" Jaebum seems to be in a good mood today, eating his pork.

Changbin and Felix stay quiet, and Jaebum glances up from his food. He quirks a scarred eyebrow.

"I don't think it went very well," the blonde finally blurts, the words tumbling out.

Changbin hasn't eaten any of his plate and has kept his arms under the table, hiding the burns from view. He glances at Felix's nervous face, and decides to explain. "No. I was the one that messed up."

Yoongi stops eating. "You better not have let your temper get the better of you, Changbin. Were you the team who shot fire arrows at the game makers?"

That explains Yoongi's upset appearance.

The black haired boy looks down, annoyed. "Well, maybe if you'd been here this morning to actually mentor me, I wouldn't have felt like I needed to."

The temperature at the table drops, and Yoongi suddenly stands up. "Don't turn this on me. What have we talked about, every day since you were chosen as tribute? _Don't_ lose your temper. Nobody wants to be here. It doesn't mean you can attack the game makers like that!"

Changbin looks sullen at being yelled at, before suddenly exploding. He slams his burnt arms on the table. "I wasn't mad because of being _here_ , Yoongi! They- They were teasing Felix. I couldn't just stand there and let them make fun of him!"

A silence falls, and Felix's cheeks turn darker. The quiet is broken by the television finally playing the score distribution. The first team that went through shows up on the screen, along with a 7.

Tributes were ranked from 1, which is undeniably low to a point of instant failure, to 15. 15 was the highest score you could receive, and Felix didn't remember ever seeing someone score so high.

They watch in silence, captivated by the scores playing on the screen. A couple 6s. Jeongin and Jisung scored a meager 4, which worried Felix.

Lisa and Jennie managed a 11, which makes a smile break on his face. Good. Hopefully the smiley girl would receive some sponsors.

They collectively hold their breath as Changbin and Felix appear on the screen. After a short pause, numbers appear on the screen.

Unlucky number 13.

"O-Oh-- Why would they do that?" Felix is confused, seeing it mirror on Changbin's face at the high score.

Jaebum leans forward, clasping his hands together. "Either they were impressed by you two, or want to put a moving target on your backs. I'm... worried for your interview tomorrow. You need to draw the attention away from yourselves."

Yoongi is looking down into his half finished meal, before ripping some cigarettes out of his pocket. "I'm going to have a smoke."

Silence falls over the group as their plates are cleared, until V and a green haired man called G Dragon arrive. His eyes have stretched catlike pupils, and he's wearing a giant purple glittering coat.

"Changbin, darling!" He cups Changbin's long face in his hands. "I'm so excited to dress you for tomorrow! I'm thinking the dark look again, maybe a bit of sparkle! V, Kookie and I have worked hard on your looks!"

"We need them to not stand out to the other tributes," Jaebum murmurs. "They managed a high score."

G Dragon blinks, before smiling widely. "Worry not! V, the backup plan?"

"On it." He's holding a tape measure, and looms above the two boys with it.

After some quick measuring, and a flustered Changbin receiving a kiss on the cheek from G Dragon, the two decide it's time to sleep. Jaebum reminds them that they need to be awake extra early tomorrow, to be coached on the interviews.

As soon as the door clicks shut, Changbin moves to get changed. Felix suddenly remembers the state his arms are in when he sees Changbin shimmy out of his shirt. "Oh! Your arms. Hold on."

"Don't worry about it," Changbin mumbles, laying in bed shirtless to sleep. "Just turn the light off."

Theres a mouth piece in the corner of the room where you can ask for whatever you'd like, and it would arrive moments after. Felix had only ever used it for a drink in the middle of the night, but felt like now was a good time to use it for something else.

"Burn medicine," he speaks into it, and after a few seconds a slot in the wall opens up and pushes out a round silver container.

Sitting on the edge of Changbin's bed, he grasps his bicep when the black haired boy tries to pull away. "Leave it, Felix."

The blonde ignores him, opening the container of salve. "Let me do this for you. As thanks for, uh, standing up to the game makers."

Felix dips his fingers into the cool cream, before hesitantly smearing it over his raw red forearm.

"Ah--" Changbin hisses at first, but then let's out a sigh of relief. The skin underneath the salve is turning pink now, soothing the angry burns.

He carefully makes sure the cream is all over the burns, before recapping the salve and putting it on his bedside table.

An awkward silence falls, and it takes Felix a moment to realize he's still holding Changbin's shaped bicep. The blonde drops him, as if he'd been stung."O-Oh, sorry--"

"Thank you." He rolls over, hiding his face in his pillow. Felix frowns, and stands up to turn off the light. He climbs into his own bed. Silence falls.

"Goodnight, Changbinnie." Felix says into the dark room.

"...Night."

\----------

That night, Felix had his very first nightmare since being selected as tribute for the games.

Faceless people pass him, and Felix ran too slow to catch up to one person he needed the most right now.

Chan.

He's trying to shout his name, but nothing comes out. The taller blonde just continues to walk away, through the sea of people.

The dream felt wrong as he tried to catch up, almost screaming at this point, and Chan finally turns around.

His eyes are blank, disgusted, and he pushes Felix away. It makes him stumble a few meters backwards, and his heart ache. The blonde is confused by this, watching his cousin continue to walk away. He looks down, and sees that his hands are covered in red.

Blood. Murderer.

He looks back up, seeing past victims of the games staring at him. Blood pools to the floor from their mouths. He screams.

Suddenly, Felix is being jostled out of sleep, wetness on his face. It takes him a second to realize he's crying, whimpering sounds coming from the back of his throat.

"Felix," he hears his name whispered soothingly in a deep voice, large hands threading in his hair and pulling him into a warm chest. He sobs louder, drenching the person with his tears as he tucks his head under their chin.

"Changbinnie?" he whimpers, not caring that this was weird for two friends to be doing. Strong fingers massage his head.

"It's okay. I've got you." The black-haired boy mumbles the words, resting his lips on his head.

Tears dribble down, wetting his skin and the sheets, until Felix tires himself out and falls back asleep.

He fell in and out of dreaming, unsure of what was reality and what wasn't. The sun finally rose for dawn, and he's startled by a knock on the door.

"15 minutes, boys! We have a lot to do."

Felix ignores it, pressing his face into the crook of Changbin's neck instead. He felt like he had barely slept last night, exhaustion laying heavy over him. The blonde inhales deeply, enjoying the musky scent. It reminded him of home

He's relaxed for a moment, until he realises what he's doing.

Felix flails, his cheeks bright red. He very nearly punches Changbin in the face in his attempt to free himself from his strong arms.

"I'm s-sorry!" Felix hurriedly gets up, not looking at him.

The black-haired boy doesn't respond, but Felix can feel his eyes on his back as he disappears into the bathroom for a quick shower.

Felix was scared. This time cuddling, it had felt different, and the boy felt confused.

Friends don't cuddle like that.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I could have written this chapter a bit better aaaa, but I've been sick the last few days and struggled to concentrate!! keen to write the next chapter hehehehe. repercussions are coming for changbin xo


	7. Chapter 7

 

Felix was exhausted, and he hadn't even done the interview yet.

Jaebum, and a scolding Hyunah, had spent the entire morning training him in etiquette. As it turns out, his posture was terrible. They made him sit up straight with a book on his head, his shoulders flat against the chair back.

He was taught to express good body language. Keep moving your hands, your palms facing outwards, silly things like this. Don't duck your head. Respond to the question clearly. Smile a lot. No, don't smile like that.

Hyunah kept reminding him to speak without his dialect, which Felix struggled with. He was grateful when she finally left to help Sunmi coach Lisa.

They taught him to gush over V and Kookie's clothes, the Capital, anything and everything he had experienced so far.

Changbin was being coached separately from him. After his reaction this morning, he had been awfully quiet towards the blonde boy. During the break they had for lunch, he'd just quietly eaten his food, glancing at Felix every few minutes.

The burns on his arms had healed almost completely, thanks to the strong healing properties the Capital medicine carried. It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway, given both boys were given matching suits with jackets to wear.

Changbin's was jet black with a sparkling glitter encrusted tie, whereas Felix's suit sparkled like a diamond with an opposing black tie.

"I thought I wasn't supposed to stand out?" His makeup is simple, and his blonde hair swept back. A clip on cross shaped earring dangles from his ear lobe. V sighs. He's gently holding Felix by his chin, painting his lips a soft pink with a tiny brush.

"G was very set on the original design and still wanted to keep elements. Honestly I think they're simple enough that you'll be fine. Kookie agrees, too."

He rolls his eyes, hoping Jaebum would agree. He kept warning the blonde not to draw too much attention to himself, but get on the good side of the Capital.

Felix was a little confused. Did he want him to be seen, or not be seen?

Once dressed, he and Changbin meet at the elevator. Felix sees how he looks away, his ears reddening.

"You look good."

"Thank you," Felix says, grinning. "You look pretty good, too."

Their prep teams had dusted their skin with a layer of shimmering dust, accenting on Changbin's flawless skin and Felix's freckles. Their nails that had been bitten down over the last few days had been filed down, eyebrows restrained by shaping them. Changbin's hair has been curled today, hanging just over his eyes.

Jaebum and Yoongi board the elevator with them, heading below to the stage they were on for the opening ceremony. The sun is setting, casting an orange glow on them. Felix shields his eyes from it for a moment until Jaebum presses a button. A dark panel slides over it, tinting the glass.

They will be interviewed in the same order as they were privately scored in, so Changbin and Felix had some time to prepare themselves before they were due to be on stage.

"This whole thing is dumb," Changbin mumbles, hearing the roar from the crowd rise in volume. "Parading a bunch of kids around like this and getting to know them. It seems a little unnecessary."

Felix couldn't agree more, but simply smiles painfully. They're backstage in a dressing room waiting to be called, with V adding some last minute cufflinks to their jackets.

"Alright, I think you're both ready." He smiles, clasping Felix's shoulder. The crowd is cheering louder, a booming voice yelling to the crowd.

"I don't feel very ready," Felix replied weakly. He felt like he was going to vomit.

"I'll be on the main platform with Kookie, G and the other stylists. If you get scared, just look for me." He squeezes his shoulder. "You can do this, Felix."

The blonde smiled softly, appreciating his words but before he can thank him Jaebum is at the door and ready to direct them onto the stage. Each team had to sit on the stage to be viewed while each interview took place. Since they were thirteenth, Felix would need to watch almost every other interview before it would be his and Changbin's turn.

While it meant he could watch the other tributes and learn, it could also mean the crowd would get bored. Normally, towards the later districts, the Capital would lose interest which resulted in the outer districts losing good sponsors.

He bites his lip, standing in the line of tributes ready to be paraded onto the stage. How would he keep it exciting? He could talk about Channie, and why he volunteered if he was asked about it. However, he didn't have much else to talk about. He tries to look for Lisa, but the backstage area is quite dark.

"Stop freaking out, Felix. You're going to bite a hole in your lip." Changbin growls the words, standing next to him and looking like he'd rather be anywhere but here.

"S-Sorry," he mumbles, afraid of the bite in Changbin's voice. Seeing this, he softens.

In the safe darkness of the backstage, he reaches out and squeezes his hand. "Hey, don't apologize. Just remember that you have me out there with you."

Felix smiles, and nods. They start to walk onto the stage, resulting in a wave of sound from the Capital. Felix drops his hands and the two walk onstage.

Everything is bright and glittering, and Felix squints to adjust to the light change. He can feel his pulse in his ear as he takes in the sheer amount of people.

Right near the front are the stylists, with the green haired G Dragon happily waving towards the two. Felix catches Vs stare, and quickly flashes his brightest smile.

Behind them the seats are full of cameras and excited Capital people, and even further out there is standing room around a glittering gold fountain. It's a sea of different colour and styles that stretches for kilometers, and a little hard to look at for a long time.

Above them on a balcony stretching from the Training Center are the game makers, alongside who Felix recognizes as JYP. He's seated at the very front of the balcony, leaning forwards slightly with his head resting on his hand. He has a strange look of excitement on his face as he watches the tributes parade onto the stage. Television cameras zoom in close as they walk onstage, big images of them displayed on huge projectors against the buildings.

He knew the whole of what used to be South Korea would be watching tonight. Every television would be on, no questions asked. He wondered if Chan would be watching tonight. Maybe he's sitting with Felix's mother in their tiny living room, resting his head on her shoulder as they watch. Or, maybe he's huddled up with Woojin on the black-haired boys bed, watching on the tiny television Chan had found for him after the accident.

Or, maybe Chan wasn't even watching at all, instead staring into space in their cave--

Felix loses his train of thought when he accidentally trips over the chairs allocated for him and Changbin. He would have fallen if not for the elders fast reaction. Changbin smoothly wraps his arm around his waist, catching him in a way that looked like he was directing him into his seat.

He flashes him a look, and Felix mouths a 'thank you', praying nobody had noticed.

A skinny man bounces onto the stage, excitement booming through his voice. Lee Minho. His hair is dyed red for the occasion, contrasting with his pale skin and velvet suit. Large grey contact lenses sit in his eyes, accenting them and making them appear a lot larger than normal.

Minho had only been hosting the games for the last two years. Felix had heard a rumor that the young man was selected due to his talent with performing songs and comedy shows. He tried to decline, but his family was threatened, leading him to where he is today.

He starts the crowd off with a little comedy, introducing everyone to this very special Quarter Quell tribute interview. After the crowd roars with laughter, he's quickly down to business and calling up the first member of team 1.

The girl, who Felix faintly remembers is called Im Yoonah, quickly collects her large gown in her hands and trots to Minho. She looks very gorgeous, with long waves of black hair trailing down her open back.

She takes his outstretched hand, letting him help her sit, and the interviews begin.

Felix can see that each tribute seems to have some sort of persona or strategy for their interviews. This girl had one that was serious, responding quickly and professionally to all questions given to her. After three minutes, a buzzer sounds to signal that her time is up before her team mate, the tall boy from District 11, takes her place. His name is Soobin, and he seems very nervous, but Minho quickly relaxes him.

He seemed to have that persona about him, that made the interviews run very smoothly. He would fill in gaps with jokes, shooting out questions and giving the right response when the tribute replied. The girl from 8 had panicked when asked about her district, which he had kindly helped her with.

During Jisung's interview, the red haired host seemed to have taken a shine to the smiley, kind boy. He leaves the stage red faced and grinning, after Minho teased him for being just like a squirrel and very cute.

Felix sits with his ankles crossed and his hands folded in his lap, trying not to bounce his leg due to nerves. Lisa is called, and flounces onto the stage in a jellyfish style dress. She's smiling and laughing, earning a lot of love from the audience.

Then, Jennie, dressed in a similar style dress but in plain grey. She's stoic, but her smile is coy and the cut of her dress is low.

And then, the buzzer goes off and Minho calls for Lee Felix.

He gulps, shakily standing. Jaebum's words scream in his head, and he pushes a smile onto his face. He grips Minho's hand in a firm handshake, praying he can't feel the buildup of sweat on his palm, and sinks into the plush interview armchair.

"So, Felix. We were all very amazed by your stunning suit during the parade! Tell me a little about it." Minho is kindly smiling, winking at the cheering crowd.

Felix found his mouth going dry, and the camera pans to V who smiles and flashes a peace sign.

He racks his brain for a good response, as the crowd dies down.

"It was really comfortable to wear," he finally says, a little pathetically. "The fabric was really soft."

After a moment of silence, Minho laughs, and some of the crowd joins him as they roar with laughter. They laugh as if he had just cracked the funniest joke of history.

Felix is stunned, before shooting a lopsided smile in response and chuckling. Minho slaps his thigh, the laughter finally dying down.

"And this one you're wearing today?" Minho leans forward, smiling.

Felix runs his small hand over the sleeve, a big smile crossing his face. "Just as soft! I'm amazed by how soft everything is in the Capital. The sheets, the clothes. V must do something special to these clothes, though! Want to feel it?"

The blonde feigns awe, holding his sleeved arm out for Minho to feel. He looks thoughtful, running his fingers over the glittering fabric, with the Capital cooing and laughing in response.

"Hmm, definitely soft! It's a shame it's not as soft as your mentor's demeanor, though."

The camera finds and pans in on a stoic Jaebum as the crowd laughs harder.

"Aww, Jaebum is all bark with no bite." Felix waggles his eyebrows, and Jaebum rolls his eyes in response.

"So, tell me about your training score!" Minho smiles fondly. "Was Jaebum's mentoring to thank for that high score of 13? Or what about your team mate?"

The camera zooms in on a flustered Changbin.

"I'd thank Changbinnie for that one," he says, looking back at the black-haired boy and smiling. Changbin looks away, narrowing his eyes.

"Give us some details!" Minho leans in, wiggling his eyebrows, and Felix laughs.

"I don't think I'm really supposed to talk about it," he says. "Or, I'll save it for Changbin to respond to."

The crowd laughs, and he smiles wider.

"Alrighty, fair enough. We'll let him take to the spotlight on that one. One last question before I let you go." His voice has gotten quieter now, more serious. "It's regarding your brother."

Minho clasps one of Felix's hands in his own, and the blonde smiles sadly. "You very bravely volunteered for him. Wanna tell us a little about him?"

Felix really didn't want to talk about Chan, not in front of the whole Capital. However, Minho kindly squeezes his hand.

He decided that he likes Minho.

"His name is Chan." The crowd is in a hushed silence, every eye on him. Felix tries to focus on Minho, swallowing. "He's turning 19 really soon. Chan is my best friend, and I love him more than anything."

"Did he say anything to you after the reaping? He seemed... very upset with your choice to volunteer in his place." Minho chose his words carefully, smiling.

"...He told me I need to survive." Felix's voice is shaky, the sheer honesty coming out of his voice.

"And what did you say in response?" Minho's voice is hushed for effect, and you could hear a pin drop in the Capital.

Felix racks his brain, trying to remember what he said to Chan. A sudden wave of remorse washes over him.

He hadn't said he would.

"I... I didn't say anything." He looks down to his lap. "I didn't even tell Chan that I loved him."

Tears suddenly dribble down his cheeks. He pulls his hand back, wiping them away. He's mildly surprised that he's crying.

The buzzer suddenly goes off. Minho looks like he wanted to say more, but knows he can't. "Looks like we're out of time now. Thank you for bravely telling us about your brother, Felix. Best of luck, tribute from District 14."

He smiles wanly, and the crowd claps and cheers as he carefully gets up from his seat to reseat himself next to Changbin. Lisa looks worried, seeing how he tries to stop crying, looking up into the lights. He's embarrassed, and knows he immediately looks weak to the other tributes.

The black-haired boy looks just as worried, and his name is called. He rests a hand on Felix's shoulder as he stands, rubbing it with his thumb as he takes to the spotlight.

He focuses on controlling his breathing as Changbin begins his interview. His voice is low and emotionless, responding to the questions carelessly. The crowd is loving it, laughing at Minho's attempts at conversation.

"Somebody's gotta have gotten under that shell. Anybody special at home?" Minho winks, and Felix's attention is drawn to the question. He already knew Changbin's history with Hyunjin, and worries for him.

"No." Changbin is remorseless.

Minho's smile is strained, having not gotten anything from him. He suddenly frowns, pressing his fingers to his ear. He must have been told something through his earpiece, because he raises an eyebrow.

"I've been told that you do have a special someone in your life, Changbin." Minho raises an eyebrow, and the crowd gasps. The black-haired boy frowns, looking confused.

"No? There's nobody from home--"

"No, no. It's someone here."

Changbin looks more confused, and then suddenly Minho's words sink in. His cheeks flush bright red.

"Tell me, Changbin. Do you or do you not have a soft spot for Lee Felix?"

...

Huh?

Felix blinks, surprised, seeing the camera suddenly zoom in on his face. A video rolls onto the screen, and he and every other tribute turn to look.

Sappy music plays, and the video cuts to when he and Felix were training. Changbin's hands are on his, showing him how to tie the knots. Then, it cuts to him showing him how to shoot with the bow. Felix had been too focused on aiming that he hadn't noticed how bright red Changbin had turned at their close proximity.

Oh boy.

The feelings the black-haired boy had were a tiny bit obvious, now that they'd been shown to him this way.

"Changbin," Felix whispers in awe, turning to look at him. The black-haired's boy sunk down into the chair as far as he could, face bright red.

Felix laughs at first, thinking that this couldn't be real. It had to be a joke made by the Capital, probably as revenge for Changbin shooting at them. They'll probably play this off easily as them misinterpreting the situation.

Then, the video changes again.

It's an aerial view of their room, with a green tint. The smile quickly drops from his face, recognizing the situation.

Felix is twitching in his sleep, whimpering. Changbin, after some time, gets up from his own bed and wraps his arms around him.

_"Felix."_

_"Changbinnie?"_

_"It's okay. I've got you."_

He'd seen enough. Both he and Changbin instantly pale as the entirety of their country sees them cuddle in bed after Felix's nightmare.

They couldn't really play that off as Changbin not liking Felix.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't proof read so lemme know if you spot any mistakes!


	8. Chapter 8

It was as if time stood still.

Felix couldn't hear the crowd roar in response to the video. All he could hear was the rapid beating of his heart and the tinny sound of static.

The feeling of panic.

Felix was quite scared for the games now, after his and Changbin's questionable relationship was blasted on television across the country like that. It wasn't illegal to be homosexual, but Felix knew that the inner circle were quite reserved towards it.

He remembered how they constantly covered up stories of people being accidentally beaten to death, knowing full well why they were. Chan had been so scared to recieve the same treatment when his feelings for Woojin came to light.

Felix seems to snap back into focus. The Capital is cheering and hooting, and the buzzer goes off. Minho's hand is covering his mouth. Changbin seems to be in shock, not realizing he has to move, until Minho moves his hand to thank him for being there.

The red-haired man looks pained as Changbin stands up, but quickly masks it with a smile and laugh.

He takes his seat next to Felix, dazed, feeling every eye on the two of them. The girl from the next team steps forward when her name is called, after staring lengthily at them along with everyone else.

Felix just wanted the interviews to end.

He spends the next painstaking minutes staring at his lap, refusing to look up. His cheeks are bright red, and his heart is beating fast.

Changbin likes him.

The realization sinks in, and despite the embarrassing situation he feels almost giddy. Changbin had a crush on him. A soft spot.  An infatuation. Puppy love.

Maybe Felix felt the same. He'd grown fond of the darker boy over the last few days.

Finally, the interviews are over, but none of them as exciting as Changbin's. They stand for the national anthem, and Felix flickers his eyes to Changbin's face. He's looking away.

They're released from their seats, and paraded back into the lobby of the Training Centre. Night has fallen fully now, and the lobby is lit with white lights.

The blonde turns, ready to talk to Changbin about what the hell just happened, but he's already stalking away towards the elevator. Felix pushes past the other tributes and mentors, ignoring the stares, and reaches out to grasps Changbin's arm.

Before he can, however, Yoongi beats him to it. He's grasped Changbin's shoulder, shooting Felix a look that says 'not here'. He boards the elevator alongside the black-haired boy. It takes Felix a moment to realize Changbin's shoulders are shaking.

He awkwardly pauses, watching the two ride up alongside other tributes and mentors. A strong hand grips his shoulder.

"Felix. Let's go somewhere private."

The blonde turns, catching Jaebum's steely gaze. They board the other elevator, squishing in alongside two teams of girls. They whisper between themselves, not looking at Jaebum and Felix until they reach their floor.

Stepping out, it takes the 16 year old a moment to realize Changbin is yelling at an equally angry Yoongi.

"No, fuck off! What makes you think that's okay?" Changbin spits the words. He's sitting on the couch, arms folded, while Yoongi paces. His tie is undone, and suit jacket strewn on the floor.

Yoongu looks slightly relieved at the sight of Jaebum and Felix, but Changbin just turns pink and he refuses to look at the blonde. "Look, I think this is an opportunity for sponsorship. We can use this for your advantage. Play it off as two poor lovers trying their best to save each other, especially because of the special theme of this Hunger Game."

Felix is surprised by the idea, but Changbin simply growls in response. "No. I refuse to let you use _my_ feelings for the Games. It makes you no better than the fucking game makers."

"Listen, Changbin. This whole game? It's all a huge dramatic show for the Capital." Yoongi looks frustrated at this point, grasping his shoulders, but the black-haired boy shrugs him off. "If this means you have a better chance to _survive_ , you'd better take it."

The black-haired boy glares at him, before catching Felix's dark eyes. Changbin's eyes narrow, and he looks away. It takes the blonde a moment to realize that the elder is shaking again.

This time, it's with anger.

"No."

He stands and walks into the shared bedroom, slamming the door and cutting off any further conversation.

A silence falls over the group. Felix is red faced, seeing Jaebum and Yoongi silently converse.

"Felix." Jaebum finally turns to him "Talk to Changbin, maybe order some dinner to your room. Yoongi and I need to discuss this situation in preparation for the games tomorrow... Be up by dawn."

Jaebum looks saddened as he speaks, not looking at Felix's face.

He silently nods, creeping to the bedroom door. Felix opens it, expecting to see Changbin, but instead sees him curled up on the balcony.

He's resting his back against the railing, watching the Capital below. His dark eyes are shining with tears.

The young blonde felt his heart do a funny little flip. Shedding off the glittery jacket and tie, he instantly feels a lot more at ease in just the white shirt and trouser.

Felix trips on the leg of Changbin's bed as he makes his way over, alerting the black-haired boy. He scowls.

"What do you want?"

Felix smiles at him as warmly as he can, sitting across from him. "Hey, Changbin--"

"Don't. Just don't." He sounds pained as he speaks, resting his head on his knees. "Don't smile at me like that. Don't even look at me. Just leave me alone."

Felix frowns, resting his head back against the railing. "Changbinnie, it's okay--"

"It's not fucking okay!" He hisses the words, cutting Felix off. "The Capital just blasted our private life onto every noscreen in the country. Don't you realize that?"

Felix winces, not responding. Changbin stares at him, before sighing and looking away. "You and I can never be like that, anyway. Don't listen to Yoongi. Forget about it."

Oh.

Felix is hurt by his words, suddenly disappointed. He looks down to his lap, and bites the inside of his cheek.

It had given him a little bit of hope despite this grim circumstance. A little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

If it wasn't for the parties below them, Felix would have forgotten entirely about the games beginning tomorrow. There's a scream, and fireworks suddenly light up the sky.

Felix jumps, startled by the sound. It takes him a moment to recognize what the bright flashes of colour are. He gazes at them in wonder, watching them burst into different shapes.

Changbin stares at them as well, his gaze softening slightly when he turns to Felix.

"Nothing really phases you, huh?"

Felix turns to him, cocking his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The elder is red-faced. "Like, with that whole video thing."

He thinks for a moment, before speaking. "I mean, it did bother me what they did. I'm just not as explosive as you."

He chuckles, and Felix scoots across to sit next to Changbin. The fireworks burst, reflecting the gold dust on their skin. He picks up Changbin's hand, and fiddles with it with his two smaller ones.

The black-haired boy looks at him quizzically, but Felix can see his ears are pink. "What are you doing?"

Felix shrugs, trying to make the boy smile. He's a little hurt when Changbin pulls away. "Felix, let's talk about tomorrow."

"Yeah? You mean... the Games." His playful act drops, and reality sinks in. Felix draws his hands back.

"I don't want to work as a team."

Felix is slightly stunned by the elder's harsh words, and his heart hurts. "Why?"

"I just don't. It was... stupid for me to let my guard down." He rests his head on his knees, turning his face away to watch the fireworks. "Don't even bother trying to find me tomorrow, when it starts. I'll... kill you, if you do."

Felix gets a sense of deja vu from his words, remembering where they were a few days back. I'll kill you myself if I have to. Were they truly back to square one?

He stays quiet for a long time, and Changbin sighs. The fireworks had long ended. The elder turns to him, his eyes glittering with unshed tears.

"You need to stay away from me. It's for the best. "

He leans in, and softly presses a kiss to a surprised Felix's face, before saying he was going to take a shower and go to sleep.

It left the blonde very confused, and gave him a lot to think about. After the black-haired boy's shower, Felix trades with him to wash his own makeup off his skin, relishing in the warm water and fruity soaps for one last time. He ordered himself a serve of a dish called pig's feet, enjoying it with rice and vegetables, while Changbin simply sleeps.

He watches the black-haired boy sleep for a moment. His dark eyelashes are naturally very long, fluttered closed. His arm is tucked around his pillow, pulling it close.

Changbin almost looked like a child when she slept.

Felix lays back on his own bed, thinking over his words. He didn't want to work as a team, because it was for the best? Felix knew from the get go that he probably wouldn't survive the games. But with Changbin by his side? He'd been given some hope.

That maybe they had a chance.

He swallows, rolling over so he was now facing Changbin's sleeping form. Everything was so confusing now.

He missed Chan, and wished he could ask his blonde cousin for his advice. Everything was so much easier back in District 14.

\----------

It's the dawn of what feels like the final day.

Felix is roused from his sleep early by a silent V, and is directed to get changed into plain black pants and a shirt. The sun is barely risen. He shimmies off his sleep wear, still half asleep.

The blonde had barely rested the night before. He had tossed and turned for hours, whimpering for Chan.

He was scared for the arena. Any minute he didn't get of sleep added to his chances of being killed, but he found he was unable to. Anxiety grew in Felix, yet Changbin slept on.

Jaebum is standing by the door waiting for Felix, and it takes him a moment to realize Changbin isn't here.

"Changbin went on ahead to the arena." It's as if Jaebum can read his mind, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "You need to leave soon, too. I'm not supposed to be here, but I wanted to talk to you before you left."

"...Any last minute advice?" Felix's voice is rough and deep, and he looks up at Jaebum as they board the elevator.

His mentor is silent for a moment, as they ascend. V looks between the two with a strange amount of sadness in his eyes.

"When the gong sounds," he begins, speaking slow. "You need to get out of there. Grab anything close by, and run. Don't do anything stupid, and put as much distance as you can between yourself and the others. Find Changbin, and hide."

Felix bites his lip. "Changbinnie doesn't want to work as a team."

Jaebum blinks, confused. "Wait, what?"

They arrive on the roof level. Felix had never been up here before, and is slightly startled by the tiled roof and balcony. It seemed nice, if it wasn't for the hovercraft waiting for them.

"Scratch that last one. Survive." He clasps Felix's shoulder, and hesistates before pulling the shorter boy in for a hug. "V will be with you right up until you go into the arena. I'll... be watching, and do my best to get you sponsors. Try to use what happened during the interviews to your advantage."

Felix swallows, remembering his words. V grasps the rungs of the hovercraft, freezing while holding them until he disappears inside. After shortly waving at his mentor for possibly the last time, grasping the rungs. It's as if he's suddenly frozen, stiffened by a strange pulse given off from the hovercraft. It was used to prevent unauthorized people from entering.

Red-dressed staff members lift him in, and he's instantly freed from the strange sensation.

Or, so he should have been. A man in a white lab coat approaches him, syringe in hand.

"Hi, Lee Felix. I'm Doctor Seokjin Kim." His smile is gorgeous, white teeth contrasting with his dark brown hair. "This is your tracker override chip. It helps if you're still, so this will only take a minute."

Felix, still frozen in place from the strange pulses, is unable to respond as he grasps his wrist. Identifying the red scar from the initial chip, he injects him with the syringe. It's a sharp, deep pain, and Felix whimpers in response.

A tracker. To keep track of him in the arena?

Jin swiftly leaves, flashing him the smile again. Finally released from the pulses, he is directed by one of the red-dressed staff members into a small dining area set up for him and V with a selection of breakfast food laid out.

Despite the sick feeling residing in his stomach, he tries his best to at least eat some of the bacon and eggs. Any food he ate now would come in handy for later. It's delicious, but basically tasteless to the blonde.

V smiles softly as he watches him eat, before reaching out to grasp one of his smaller hands "Hey. Here, try this."

He questions V's intentions, watching as the blue-haired man lets go and pushes a dark brown liquid towards him. "It's a special black tea. It gives you a boost of energy without the crash."

Felix raises an eyebrow, but sips it. A warm, honey taste fills his mouth, and he nearly downs it. "It's good."

V smiles, sitting back with his own drink.

They watch the Capital grow smaller, and the wilderness grow wilder.

After about ten minutes, the windows tint dark and nothing can be seen outside. Felix swallows, suddenly worried, and after a few minutes the hovercraft pulls to a stop.

He and V are directed down the ladder again, but this time down a darkened tube and into the catacombs lying beneath the arena.

They're instructed to a chamber Felix will be getting ready in, which is called the Launch Room.

Felix will be the first and only tribute to use this room. Every single Arena is preserved after the Games. It felt like a waste, given how much that space could be used for the districts to expand.

They step inside the launch room to greet dark red walls, the colour of blood, and tiled floors. Felix swallows and steps into a small bathroom to shower and brush his teeth, since he wouldn't be able to do that in the Arena. He steps out clad in a fluffy towel, seeing V sitting on a stool and ready with his outfit.

"Shouldn't Changbin and I be getting ready together?" Felix was a little confused by the rules of the games as he removes the towel. He was used to being naked in front of V now. His stylist rises from his seat and softly smiles, shaking his head.

"No. We were instructed that every tribute is to be dressed and launched alone."

Every tribute was to be dressed exactly the same, as according to the Arena. Since this is a special event, the chances of the Arena being different was normal was high.

However, the clothes are simple. He's dressed in plain underwear, a long sleeve blue shirt and thick pants. They have ribbing on the ends, enclosing them around his ankles and wrists.

"Maybe there's a lot of insects," V hums, buttoning up the shirt.

A thick jacket with reflective tape is then placed over him. He taps the orange material.

"This will shine up like the sun if another tribute has a torch. Be careful."

Felix silently drinks in the words, stepping into warm socks and thick hunting boots. Good for running, and trekking over sticks and stones.

He has no token, but is slightly surprised when V pulls out a Rubik's Cube. The very same Chan fiddled with on the day of the reaping.

"Where did you--?"

He shushes him, placing it into the large pocket of his coat. "Jaebum slipped it to me. He said it was a gift from your brother, given to him before you left."

Felix is very confused, but relays Chan's actions in his head. He'd punched Jaebum's chest, where his jacket pocket was. He must have slipped it in then.

His eyes fill with tears, and he cradles the faded toy before slipping it into his pocket.

"Thank you, V."

He smiles, his teeth pulling back into a boxy grin. "You're all set. Let's see that it all fits. Give me a spin, Felix. Test it out."

The blonde spins in a circle, raising his arms above his head and testing the fabric. "It fits perfect, I think."

"Alright. Then, we just wait for--"

A female voice cuts in, announcing it was time to launch. Felix suddenly freezes up, staring into V's eyes.

It was time.

He sees him swallow, and reach out to grasp his shoulder as they robotically walk to a silver metal plate at the center of the room. V's thumb gently runs circles on his shoudler over the material. "Remember Jaebum's words. Run. Stay away from the others."

He pushes Felix's blonde hair back, tucking it behind his ear, before letting him go and step back. V smiles sadly.

"It's been an honour, Lee Felix of District 14. Goodluck."

A glass cylinder lowers, enclosing Felix. He's suddenly aware of how hard his heart is beating, as the metal plate rises underneath him. He and V stare at each other until the dark ground cuts off his vision of him, surrounding him in darkness.

He tries to even his breathing, feeling the suffocating darkness for what feels like forever.

And then, sunlight and open air.

He's dazzled, and unable to gather his bearings. An announcer speaks, their voice booming over the Arena.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the 50th Hunger Games begin!"

He squints, eyes falling on a gigantic metal box in the centre of the field. The cornucopia. Above it in fiery letters, the countdown begins.

10.

Waist high grass surrounds them, making it impossible to see what is nearby until you step into it. Felix's nose twitches, reminding him of his hay fever allergy.

9.

He sees that the other tributes are placed similarly, at least a few metres between each. To his left, little Jeongin. He looks terrified.

8.

To his right, the burly boy from 3. He looks raring to go, eyes trained on the cornucopia.

7.

Across to his right, he sees Changbin. His heart jumps, Changbin catching his eye in return.

6.

The elder looks away, eyes trained on a shadow to the right of him. The grass seems to be parted around an area.

5.

Now that he thought of it, there were a few other patches like this. Supplies, maybe? There was one to his left in between him and Jeongin, away from the cornucopia.

4.

The sky above was grey and covered in crowds. Other than the grass that span around them, tall twisty grew in density around them, growing stronger towards the edge of the grass.

3.

Felix swallows, trying to find Lisa. She's across from him, near more Career tributes.

2.

He shivers, locking eyes again with Changbin.

1.

The black-haired boy narrows his eyes in return, and the gong sounds.

Like with the interview, it was as if time stood still.

And then, Felix ran.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry friends, I havent been able to just sit down and write this. Ive been super sick and unable to concentrate on anything hahaha
> 
> were up to the games! very exciting. your comments mean the world to me, so let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

Save for the blood pumping in his ears, Felix heard nothing as he dove into the tall grass.

The ground is muddy. He sinks down with a squelch by half a foot, struggling to pull his boots back out from it. The grass seems taller now that he's on ground level. If he crouched, he'd easily be hidden.

Finally pulling his boots free, he lunges for the backpack to his left, but nearly crashes into Jeongin. The younger boy had the same idea. He looks suddenly scared when they grip the bag at the same time. The younger boy drops it and scrambles away from Felix, catching his eye. The blonde hesitates, before tossing him the backpack and disappearing through the grass again.

It was probably a bad move given he didn't know where the other supplies were, but he felt better knowing Jeongin had something at least.

He remembered Changbin's position, and desperately tries to run towards it. The black-haired boy had poised to jump at the last second, towards the cornucopia. Had he seen something in the grass?

His nose is running like crazy at this point. Standing on his tip toes to see better, with his sleeve pressed against his runny nose, he can see most of the tributes are scrambling in the grass like how he had. The bigger tributes are at the raised cornucopia already with two of the larger boys grappling for a sword. The brown-haired boy wins, gripping the sword and driving it into the other's chest. Felix feels a scream catch in his throat, suddenly nauseous. His eyes catch on another group of people as he doubles over.

An alliance seems to have formed. Jennie and the girl from 4 had climbed onto the cornucopia, knives in hand, and Lisa seems to be quickly handing them supplies. They had a very good view of the tributes from their position.

Swallowing hard, Felix stands up again and scans to the left. He sees Changbin's head and shoulders darting through as he beelines towards something.

There's a scream to his right, and one of the girls from the outer districts falls. Blood splashes in the wind. The grass is parting, indicating a tribute was moving through, right towards him.

Panicking, Felix runs towards Changbin on a diagonal. Jennie had seen the black-haired boy, as well as whatever he was chasing. She's throwing knives into the grass now, which Changbin is dodging.

Felix doubles his pace, fear for his friend replacing all else. The closer he drew to the cornucopia, the easier it would be for them to hit him.

His foot catches on something, and he trips, face planting into the mud. Gasping, Felix scrambles up, horrified when he sees a boy's body. His lifeless blue eyes stare into Felix's, his neck at a strange angle.

Who had done this? He couldn't even take a moment to think, sheer panic taking over. Hyperventilation takes over, and he sprints to Changbin at this point, wiping the dirt off his now filthy face.

He needed to save him.

Changbin suddenly ducks down, and he can see Jennie lining up the throwing knife to the patch of grass where Changbin is. She throws it, and it glints in the sun.

Felix keeps running, before throwing himself in front of a crouched Changbin. He's fiddling with something on the ground, and turns. He has a bow and arrow in hand, strung and armed, and rolls over before the knife would have hit him. A backpack he had collected on the way is slung across his shoulder, indicating he had a much better game plan than Felix had.

However, Felix can feel his darkened gaze bore into his back as the knife embeds in his upper thigh, at the same level where Changbin's neck and face was mere seconds ago.

The blonde yells out, suddenly dropping down into the mud from the pain, and Changbin turns and shoots Jennie through the forehead.

She staggers for a moment, before dropping off the cornucopia. Lisa  screams, before her eyes suddenly roll back into her head and she falls to the floor. The girl from 4, Jisoo, snarls and aims the knives towards them again. It narrowly misses, slicing Felix's face just above his eyebrow. Blood pours down into his eyes, making him unable to see where Changbin had gone.

He fumbles around, but he didn't need to bother looking. Changbin is up and running again, this time dragging an injured Felix with him.

"Stand up," he growls, grabbing the blonde around his middle and helping him up. Felix hobbles, unable to put weight on his leg, crying in pain. Felix wipes at his brow, trying to get the blood out of his eyes and gather his bearings again.

Then suddenly, they're falling.

They had reached the bushes lining the sides of the cornucopia, and Felix tumbles down the side of a steep cliff. He cries out in pain again, laying on the stick covered ground. He's winded from the fall. There's a thin layer of mist covering this lower ground level, which concealed the far drop from the tributes. Screams and yells can be hears from above.

Changbin slides down next to him, before drawing the bow again and pinning the blonde down. He looks pissed off, aiming the arrow straight against Felix's forehead. He's unable to run. The blonde cries out in pain from the sudden weight, holding his hands up in surrender.

"W-Wait, Changbinnie--"

"What the fuck did I tell you yesterday?" He hisses the words, digging the arrowhead into his forehead. One wrong move, and it would embed straight in his skull.

"I had it covered, and now you've gone ahead and fucked yourself over for the rest of the games." He gestures to Felix's still injured leg, his eyes fiery and enraged. "Why? What is your fucking problem?"

Felix is crying now, blood mixing with the salty tears. "Changbin, I'm sorry-- I panicked--"

The blonde shakily takes in breath, trying to stop the tears, and simply closes his eyes. "Just do it. Shoot me. I'm a goner, anyway."

A few seconds pass, and Felix slowly opens an eye. Changbin is still training the bow on him, but is hesitating now.

Suddenly, he lowers it, putting it over his back. The boy looks annoyed, gloating at the blonde. "You're literally going to be the death of me, you know that?"

"We'd better move."

Felix is confused. Changbin hops off his midsection and crouches down next to his leg. He grips Felix's hip to hold him down, before suddenly tearing the knife out.

He cries out, biting his tongue as the pain rips into him. Changbin slaps a hand over his mouth so as to not alert other tributes. Tucking the knife away, he then tears off his own mud covered boot and slips off the thick sock underneath. Changbin wraps it around his thigh as if it was a tourniquet. After triple knotting it, to make sure it won't loosen, the elder puts his boot back on.

"Carry this," he mumbles, thrusting the black backpack and bow into the  blonde's tiny hands. Felix is even more confused, but then Changbin crouches in front of him. "Get on my back."

He complies, putting on the backpack and wrapping his arms around his broad shoulders. Changbin hoists them up, jostling them until he's comfortable, before quickly walking away from the cornucopia and into the thick bushland.

The screams above are lessening, and with each step Changbin puts between them and the cornucopia, they get quieter. Soon, they can't be heard at all, thanks to the elder's fast pace.

Felix didn't want to question his sudden change of heart. Instead, he presses his blood-encrusted face into the back of his neck, letting the tears suddenly engulf him.

He felt sick. Those people back there were the ones he had trained with and known over the last few days. Some had turned on others. Some were dead. The visions of the death he had already seen would be permanently etched into his mind. The lifeless eyes he would never be able to unsee.

He was worried about Lisa, having seen the way she fell. Did someone get to her? Fear spikes in his heart, and he can't stop crying.

Changbin stays silent the whole walk, even after Felix had cried all the tears he could shed. After some time, the blonde looks up again, resting his chin on his shoulder.

Surrounding them are twisted trees with white bark, as well as strange spiky plants. Mixes of flowers of every colour pass them in the thick shrubbery, which Changbin is carefully avoiding.

He'd never seen plants like this before.

Felix started feeling sick the more and more their surroundings blended together, tucking his face into the back of Changbin's neck again.

"I want a bath," he whines lonely, feeling the crustiness of the dried mud and blood scratching Changbin's skin. A low chuckled escapes his mouth, and his heart lightens.

The two are startled by the sound of two quick cannon shots. It's then followed by another two.

Felix quietly counts them in his head. 6. 8. 10. 12.

12 in total.

Changbin frowns, and juggles Felix before walking again. His voice is low and croaky. "I've never heard the cannons sound like that. There's normally the same gap in between."

Felix thinks back to what he saw at the cornucopia, when Jennie fell. How Lisa had suddenly dropped down after she fell. A sick feeling enters his stomach, as he remembers who the person behind the bow had been.

Changbin had killed someone. The very same Changbin who had cuddled him when he had his nightmares, who had defied the game makers for making fun of him. Who, according to the Capital, had feelings for him.

He shivers, pressing into Changbin more as they walk through the forest.

Felix wasn't sure if he should feel afraid or lucky to be teamed up with him.

He just prayed that his smiling friend, Lisa, was safe.

\----------

Changbin keeps walking for at least another half hour, before the tinny sound of a waterfall piques their interest.

Fresh water. A priority.

Heading towards it, they find a river and follow alongside it to find a lake in a clearing of the trees. They carefully edge around the perimeter before stepping onto the rocky ledge of the lake. It wouldn't be good to walk straight into another tribute's trap.

Thankfully, they seem to be alone, so Changbin lowers Felix onto the hard ground so the two can quickly drink from it.

"How's your leg?"

"Sore."

The burning pressure of the tourniquet was all he felt now. Each jostle had hurt Felix more and more, and his leg felt funny and limp.

Felix cups the water in his hands, splashing his face to clear the buildup of dirt. It disappeared in the lake, in the direction of the river.

They needed this rest. Changbin looked exhausted, a sheen of sweat on his forehead as he cups the cool water. Otherwise, he looks great. In comparison to the blonde, his skin was clean and nick free. Felix frowns, wondering if he needed to wash his hair. Glancing at the waterfall to see if it could be used as a shower, a familiar shape catches his eye.

"Hey, Changbinnie, do you see that?"

Felix gets on all fours before he hobbles over to the rock wall, the spray of water wetting his cheek. There was a skinny section of the wall that was open, forming a small cavern no longer than the length of a car. It was surprisingly well hidden, tucked behind stones.

Changbin frowns, peering in. "A cave?"

"Yeah! Sometimes pockets of air form when the water was a higher level, making these caverns." Felix smiles, fondly remembering his little hideout with Chan. The Rubik's Cube still sat in his jacket pocket.

The black-haired boy raises an eyebrow. "Do you think its safe?"

"Probably." Unless this was a trap set by the game makers, he doubted the worn rocks would crumble.

Felix crawls inside, sitting on the damp floor. He shivers from the cold, feeling a drip fall onto his forehead. "Let's rest here a little while."

Changbin stares at him from the entrance, amused, before sitting across from him. "Pass me the backpack."

Felix shrugs it off, passing it to Changbin. He shivers at the cold rocks pressed against his back, despite the warm clothes he wore.

The backpack held a few supplies. A small empty water bottle, a length of rope, matches, a bandage, a few crackers, a piece of gauze. Changbin finds a small zipped up bag, and is confused until he unzips a sleeping bag.

"This is going to be hell to put away," he mutters, and Felix laughs in response.

The next task was to see to Felix's leg. Changbin stands up to shift position, squatting next to Felix. He unties the tourniquet, frowning at the rip in his brown pants.

"Pants off," he instructs without thinking. After a second of silence, both boys equally turn red faced at the request. "I-It will make it a lot easier. To see the wound, I mean."

Felix complies, taking off his boots and stripping off the dirty pants down to his knee. He shivers when his bare legs touch the cool earth below them.

There was a red ring around the top of his thigh, from where the tourniquet was. Below that was a jagged, deep stab wound. It still oozed black blood, the skin surrounding it infected with bruising and reddened skin.

It looked pretty bad, and Felix whimpers when Changbin pokes at the purple skin.

"Yikes," Changbin hisses. "No wonder why it hurts."

He holds the tourniquet-sock, thinking hard, before disappearing into the cloudy daylight outside. Felix worries he had just left him for a moment, before returning. The sock is dripping wet.

"Hold still."

He crouches beside him again, gently presses the wet sock to the wound. Felix hisses out in pain, wanting to jerk his leg away, but lets him clean out the wound. Then, using the gauze and bandage in the backpack, he wraps it snugly around to keep it clean and safe.

"You need proper treatment," he mumbles, seeing a small patch of blood already appear on the surface of the bandage. Felix feels worried, pulling his pants back up. They sit in silence for a few seconds.

"...Am I going to die?"

Changbin doesn't respond, instead reanimating to pass him the sleeve of crackers. "Eat this. I'm going to fill up the water bottle for you, too."

Felix raises an eyebrow, taking the crackers from Changbin. "Um, okay."

The elder thinks for a moment, and then stands to grab the sleeping bag he had left heaped in the corner. "Use this, too."

"Wow. Thanks, mum." Felix chuckles when Changbin unzips it for him, helping him slide into the thin synthetic material.

Changbin zips it back up for him and tucks it around his legs, ignoring his comment. After disappearing for a moment to fill the water bottle, he returns to get the bow and the now-empty backpack. Four arrows remained in the quiver.

He points at Felix, then at the ground. "Stay."

The blonde is amused, watching him turn around. Changbin suddenly stops at the entrance, turning back to the blonde. He narrows his eyes as he thinks.

"Take this."

He passes him the dagger he had tucked into the bag. He must have cleaned it at some point, because the silver metal glints in the dull lighting.

Felix feels slightly nervous, holding the cool metal in his hands. He looks up to Changbin, seeing how all humour had been wiped off his long face, replacing it with a stoic expression.

"Just in case you need it."

He turns around again, not looking back. "I'll be back in a few hours. Don't do anything stupid, for the love of God."

Then, Changbin disappears through the cave entrance, back into the arena.

Hopefully it wasn't for the last time. After a few seconds of silence, save for the waterfall, Felix feels a lonely panic set into him.

He prayed to whatever God was out there that they would keep Changbin safe. 12 cannon shots meant that 18 tributes still remained.

Sixteen potential murderers could come for them. He shivers, remembering the haunting expression Changbin had on his face when he shot through Jennie's skull.

Make that seventeen potential murderers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dabs* let me know if you spot any mistakes friends


	10. Chapter 10

Changbin didn't return for a long time, leaving Felix and his inevitable boredom to fend for itself.

He tried to nap, but found that he was too stressed about potential threats to get any real sleep in. He tried to sit at the mouth of the cave to watch outside, but after an hour of nothing happening he shuffled back deeper in the cave.

So, he spent the next few hours fiddling with Chan's worn Rubik's Cube. The bright colour's had long since faded, but the gears and plastic still turned. Felix was careful to only eat two of the crackers during this time, despite his stomach growling in hunger and the fuzzy feeling of lightheadedness.

He fiddled with the puzzle cube, trying to solve it. He felt relaxed, with only the flowing waterfall and the creaking plastic breaking the silence.

Then, he heard voices.

Felix paused, not sure if he was hearing correctly, before shuffling in his sleeping bag to the mouth of the cave once more.

He's startled to see two girl tributes emerge from the forest, excited about the water.

They don't see the cave at all, instead drinking the water like their lives depended on it. Felix watched them, curious. Both had a backpack each, and one girl had a cut on her cheek.

He vaguely recognized them from training. The thin girl with reddish brown hair and the cut was Im Nayeon, and the shorter dark-haired girl was Park Jihyo of District 7. The same district that Jisung was from.

It was interesting to see how they worked as a team, with one filling a water bottle for later before the two disappear into the bushland again. Was everyone working as a team? It made the games a little less lonely.

Felix settled back into the cave, slightly reinvigorated. The sun was setting now, casting a shadow across his face. Changbin should return soon.

So he waited longer, fiddling with the Rubik's cube, when after twenty minutes another of the two strange cannon shots fire.

He jolts, his heart leaping into his throat. Another tribute was dead.

Was Changbin okay?

He tries to stand after a few minutes, nearly blacking out in the process, when he's caught off guard by a panting Changbin at the entrance of the cave.

He has a strange look of fear in his eyes, but relaxes at the sight of Felix. "Thank God. I heard the cannon shot and ran the rest of the way here."

He's holding a dead bird in one hand, a cut across his cheek, and he sinks to the floor to catch his breath. He carefully places the bird on the bag in the corner of the cave. "I saw a couple of tributes leaving this area. I... was worried."

Felix sits down again, wrapping the sleeping bag around himself. "What took you so long? I was worried about you."

"I went back to the cornucopia to get more supplies, and something for your leg." His mouth twitches. Felix feels his heart skip a beat. "There's only one way up to it. A few of the Career tributes have set up a camp around the way leading up, so I tried to climb the cliffs we fell down instead."

He pulls his sleeves back, showing cuts dotting his skin, and Felix winces at the sight. "Fell a few times. Caught the attention of another team and they chased me off."

"You didn't have to do that."

Changbin ignores him, frowning and peeling the sleeping bag back. "I'm not sure what we're going to do about your leg in the mean time. I'll take a look at it again now, if that's okay."

Felix complies again with the request, a little embarrassed to strip down his pant leg again. Changbin is red faced, holding Felix's hip down.

The bandage is crunchy with blood as  he unwraps it. The gauze is glued to his wound, but it seems to have stopped bleeding. Changbin frowns more, seeing how red lines spread up his thigh. Felix looks away, his eyes watering from the sight. That was his leg.

A shaky sigh escapes the elder, and he stands again. "I'll wash your bandage and rewrap it. Wait here."

He ducks out for a moment, before returning. Carefully, he rewraps the wound with the damp bandage. Felix watches him work, seeing how a little crease appears in his forehead as he frowns.

"Done." He glances up at Felix's face, not realizing how close they are now. His eyes flit to Felix's lips, and the blonde bites the inside of his cheek. The tension could be cut with a knife. He leans in slowly, drawn like a magnet.

Changbin sharply turns away. His ears are red. "Don't. Put your pants back on."

Felix's cheeks darken, and he shimmies them back up. Embarrassed and feeling slightly rejected, Felix pouts when Changbin turns away to work on the bird behind him. He plucks it raw, cutting off pieces of meat and placing them on a large leaf he had found in the forest.

He soon has a small fire going soon, careful to keep it near the entrance of the cave and as smokeless as possible. Felix idly watches as he spears the meat onto an arrow, turning and cooking it over the fire in silence.

"Do you need help--?"

"No."

He frowns at Changbin's harsh words. Felix felt like they had instantly back tracked again. From what? An awkward silence?

Upset, he rolls over to lay on the floor again but turned away from the black-haired boy this time, resting his head on his makeshift pillow.

After a few minutes the fire is stamped out, and Changbin clears his throat. "Sit up and eat, Felix."

"I don't want any." Felix breathes in sharply, refusing to roll back over. He can hear Changbin growl.

"Don't be a baby."

"I could say the same to you," he retorts, and feels a weight on his shoulder. Changbin is pinning him down, forcing him to roll onto his back. He's holding a piece of cooled down meat between his fingers.

"Eat." His words are firm, eyebrows knitted together in annoyance. He holds it in front of Felix, pressing it against his lips. The blonde salivates at the scent. He hadn't eaten all day since breakfast this morning, save for the few crackers.

However, he's stubborn and turns away, pressing his lips tightly together. Changbin huffs.

"Whatever," he pops the meat in his own mouth, sitting at the entrance of the cave. The bow is in his lap, ready to be picked up in case of an intruder.

Save for the waterfall and the sound of Changbin chewing, another heavy silence falls over them. Felix can feel his heart thudding, and he curls up.

After a few minutes, they're both startled by tinny but recognizable music. Felix sits up, staring outside, before crawling to the entrance to sit next to Changbin.

Their small fight could be forgotten about for now. The first night had fallen. It was time for the sky tribute to the fallen.

The artificial sky is lit up, reflecting off Changbin's jacket. He hurriedly shimmies it off and throws it in the cave as words appear in the sky. V had been right about it reflecting light.

The first face appears: The tall girl from District 1. Both are surprised by this. She was very skilled at swordplay. Then, Kim Jennie of District 3. Felix feels his heart tighten, and he feels Changbin grasp his wrist. He had tried hard to forget the events of this morning, of how emotionlessly Changnin had pierced through her skull.

He knew if they were to keep their alliance, Felix had to accept what had happened and understand that it had to happen. After a few seconds of fumbling, the two are gripping hands tightly, watching the sky with baited breath.

The next is the bespectacled boy from District 4. Then, the boy from District 6. Both tributes from District 8 appeared, immediately knocking them out of the competition. Then, the thin boy from 10.

Changbin looks stern, watching the numbers appear in the sky. The girl from his district was safe.

The small girl from District 11 is next. Then, the girls from 12 and 13. Felix holds his breath, remembering how his dear friend Lisa fell earlier.

Maybe it was just from shock? Maybe she was okay?

Lisa's picture appears in the sky, as well as the fiery letters of number 14.

He stiffens, staring in horror as the picture is quickly replaced with both tributes from 15. Then, silence and darkness fall over the arena again.

14 had fallen within the first day.

A few seconds pass. Changbin is frowning, thinking hard. He startles when a surprised sob comes from Felix's throat. He doesn't realize that he's suddenly crying. He clamps a hand over his mouth, shocked tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Felix--" Changbin has softened again, and he wraps an arm around his shoulder. Pulling Felix into his side, the blonde sobs harder, pressing his face into his neck.

"L-Lisa--" He grieved for her, crying into Changbin's neck. "She's g-gone."

It shouldn't have come as such a shock given the circumstances, but it still did. Memories of her smile and laugh float through his mind. He couldn't imagine how the people back home in District 14 felt right now.

The black-haired boy stays silent, simply rocking him and resting his head on top of his. It seemed that he couldn't stand it when Felix cries, always quick to let down his guard and hold him close.

He cries for a little while, until he can't no longer. Exhausted, he pulls away, sniffling.

"...Do you want to eat now?" Changbin quietly asks, and Felix nods, letting Changbin poke some of it into his mouth. The bird meat is tasteless now, but he knew he needed to eat.

Felix felt dull as he shuffled back into the cold cave, wrapping the sleeping bag around himself again. It's dark now, and it takes him a few seconds for his vision to adjust.

Changbin stays at the entrance, clutching the bow and staring outside. He seems to be thinking hard about something.

"Changbin?"

The black-haired boy turns from the entrance, his face expressionless. Felix wets his lips before speaking, his voice croaky. "I'll sit watch. You try to rest."

He can see Changbin hesitate.

"...Fine." Moonlight shone into the cave entrance as Changbin joins him inside. He slides the bow and arrow set onto Felix's lap while the blonde props himself up against the rock wall. He rolls up his jacket into a makeshift pillow, curling up in the corner.

Felix sniffles, holding the bow in his hands. His heart hurt, but he knew he wouldn't sleep anyway. Thoughts of Lisa swam through his mind again, as well as memories of the other fallen tributes.

He felt sick to his stomach.

A chill falls over the arena as the night continues on. Felix shivers, grateful for the sleeping bag. In the corner of his eye, he can see Changbin shivering from his position on the floor.

"Changbinnie," he whispers, the sound reverberating around the cave.  "Do you want the sleeping bag?"

He shakes his head quickly, tucking his arms around himself. Felix sighs, halfheartedly smiling. Classic Changbin.

"Come here," he whispers. At first, he didn't think Changbin had heard him, but after a moment he rolls over.

"I don't want the sleeping bag--"

"Just come lay in it with me." Felix is grateful for the darkness hiding his red face. "There's enough room. Plus, if someone shows up I can wake you up easier."

Silence, save for the waterfall, falls. After a few seconds, Felix can hear shuffling, and then the unzipping on his sleeping bag.

Changbin is warm when he cuddles up to Felix's side, resting his head against his hip. Felix absentmindedly rests a hand in his dark hair, the other still trained on the bow. He sniffles again, tired and sad.

The minutes pass slowly, and nothing happens from Felix's point of view. A soft breeze is rustling the greenery outside, with the occasional hoot of an owl cutting the silence.

"'Lix."

Felix feels his heart flip at the nickname, looking down at Changbin. He figured by now he would be sleeping, but Changbin is laying on his back, staring up at him. A strange look has crossed his face as he suddenly sits up.

"I've realized something."

Felix quirks an eyebrow, seeing him frown. He doesn't seem to want to say whatever it was he was thinking, pausing for a moment.

"During the sky announcement... I noticed that it was teams that were up there. It wasn't just one person from the team. Both would be up there."

He looks away. "...I think if one person from your team dies, the other team mate also will."

The elder's words sink in, and he frowns. He sideway glances to his leg.

"...I'm going to die from this wound, aren't I?"

Changbin stays silent, thinking, but they both knew it was true. Felix was essentially just a target ready to be hit now. Even if he got over the infection, without proper treatment he would have a limp, leaving him unable to run from a fight.

He felt strangely confident knowing the truth now.

Accepting.

Changbin cups Felix's cheek. The blonde is confused, seeing the elder hesitate in the dim lighting, running his thumb over the delicate bones in his face.

Suddenly, his heart picks up in speed.

"Changbin." He whispers, his breath fanning the black-haired boy's face.

"I don't want to die before being able to do this," he whispers, his voice cracking slightly with a hidden emotion.

Time seems to stand still as he leans in and kisses Felix.

The blonde stiffens at first, startled. His heart soars, screeching yes, whereas his brain remains confused.

Changbin pulls away, embarrassed. A low chuckle suddenly escapes Felix.

"What's so funny?" Changbin sounds offended.

"What happened to 'don't'?" Felix chuckles. With a burst of confidence, he grips Changbin's chin and injured cheek, leaning in again.

Changbin reciprocates, softly pressing into the blonde as they kiss. It's nice. His lips are soft and plush, melting into Felix's.

The kiss deepens, with Changbin gripping his shoulders. Felix slides his arms around his neck, forgetting he was supposed to be sitting watch.

Kissing Changbin just felt right. They test the waters, sliding tongue against tongue, searching eachothers mouths carefully.

They pull away when Felix notices he forgot to breath, suddenly realizing when his vision began spinning. He gasps in, breathing hard, cheeks hot.

"Wow," he mumbles, and Changbin makes an embarrassed strangled sound in response.

"I-I'm going to sleep now," the elder mumbles, his voice higher than normal. He shuffles down again, pressing his face against his hip again.

"...Goodnight, Changbinnie." Felix's voice is slightly teasing, a smile on his lips.

After a moment, he softly presses a kiss to his hip. "Goodnight."

\----------

The night was long and lonely. Changbin slept peacefully tucked into Felix's hip, drifting off after a short while.

Keeping watch was insanely boring. Felix held the bow firmly for the first 20 minutes, but got a little lazy after that. Waiting for dawn was hell. He remembered sleepless nights when he was younger, laying awake whether it was from nerves or just because he couldn't sleep.

He had to jerk out of sleep a couple times, but both boys startle at a dual cannon shot very early in the morning.

Changbin yawns, frowning and cracking open an eye. Morning dew had fallen, and the sky was slowly turning pink.

"I'll take over," he mumbles, his voice thick with sleep. "Get some rest, 'Lix."

"Okay." His voice is hoarse, but he was grateful to trade places with the elder. Changbin unzips the sleeping bag, shivering in the cold morning air, and takes the bow from Felix to sit at the entrance of the cave properly.

He rolls over, nuzzling into the warm spot from where Changbin's body had just been, drifting off quickly into sleep.

The sun had fully risen when he's awoken by Changbin gently shaking him.

"Whassup?" He slurs the words, confused, squinting at the elder.

"Let me check your leg." Changbin is dressed and ready to go, bow sitting near the entrance.

Felix sits up on his elbows, groggy, before rolling down his pants again. Changbin unwraps the bandage, which is still clean.

The red was less aggressive, but a purple bruise circled the gauze. He lets out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, great. That's a good sign. Regardless, I'm going to try the cornucopia again." Changbin stands, slinging the bow over his shoulder.  
"There's leftover meat for you, and the water bottle has been filled again. Rest. Don't do anything stupid. The dagger is near your pillow."

Felix frowns, searching for it, before grasping it. He places it next to him in a place he can see it better. "...Thanks, Changbinnie."

The elder hesitates, before leaning in to kiss his forehead. His voice comes out in a low growl. "...Stay safe."

And with that, Changbin leaves again. His ears are bright red. The sun is shining outside, and Felix idly watches him disappear into the shrubbery with the bow drawn. A small smile laces his lips, and he fondly presses his fingers to them, remembering their kisses from the night before.

Today, he felt a tiny bit safer and happier.

Felix grips the sleeping bag closer, snuggling back into it. His eyes felt droopy, but sleeping alone wouldn't be a good idea.

He drifts in and out of sleep again, struggling to stay awake. His sleep is dreamless, time passing with each blink.

Felix feels a strange feeling come over, jerking awake.

It takes him a few seconds to realize eyes are on him, but not Changbin's.

Another tribute was at the entrance of their cave.

Jisung stared down at him, gaping as they lock eyes.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends here is another chapter ❤ Ive been super busy with my studies lately but were up to some spicy times now. let me know what you think!!


	11. Chapter 11

A few seconds of silence pass, and then all hell breaks loose.

Felix grabs the dagger, yelling in shock, and in return Jisung screams and points his makeshift spear at him.

The shock trickles out of him when he sees the fear in Jisung's eyes.

"W-Wait--" Felix drops the dagger, throwing his hands up in surrender. Memories of training with him and Jeongin flood his mind. "Hold up--"

"What are you doing in here?!" Jisung hesitantly lowers the spear, seeing how Felix hasn't stood up. His eyes flit around the cave, taking in the sleeping bag, the leftover food, Felix's bed head.

"I can explain--"

Jisung frowns, watching Felix wobble to his feet. The spear clatters on the earthy ground, and he grips the blonde's forearms to steady him. "Whoa. Are you okay?"

Felix grunts. Putting weight on his leg hurt, probably damaging the freshly healing wound again. "I-I'm injured. I got hurt trying to protect Changbin."

Jisung frowns, seeing a trickle of blood appear through the rip in his pants. "Oh no, Felix-- It's okay, Jeongin and I can look after you? We have some supplies. He's just keeping watch outside."

Felix rasps out a laugh as Jisung guides him to sit again. "It's okay. Changbin has been looking after me a lot."

The farmer cocks his head, brown hair flipping. "Changbin has? That seems out of character."

"He's a big softie," Felix chuckles, letting his guard down immediately around the sunny boy. Had it been anyone but their team, he probably would have had to use the weapon poised next to him.

Jisung smiles softly in return, patting his leg. "Maybe we can team up for a couple days? Innie and I need shelter."

Before Felix can reply, they hear a yell of shock from outside. Jisung drops to the ground in fear. He fumbles for his spear, and Felix grabs the dagger again. His heartrate accelerates.

Changbin is at the entrance, holding a scared Jeongin by the scruff of his shirt. A longsword is in his hand, and pointed at Jisung.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Changbinnie--" The soar of excitement he felt quickly disappeared when he saw the dark anger in Changbin's eyes.

Jisung looks beyond terrified of the enraged boy, despite Felix's attempts at calming him down. The blonde wobbles to his feet again, limping to the black-haired boy and waving his arms.

"Wait-- Jisung and Jeongin are my friends--"

"Not in the arena." Changbin snarls the words, distrust clear in his eyes. Felix felt a sinking feeling enter his chest, remembering that this type of  trust is what led Changbin's dear friend Hyunjin to die in the games.

As much as Felix was ready to trust the two, Changbin definitely was not.

Jeongin looks terrified, especially when Changbin presses the sword to his throat.

"Stop!" Felix feels disgust enter his stomach, watching Changbin turn dark like this. He grasps his arm, wobbling and pushing the sword away from Jeongin. "They're my friends and they need shelter. I trust them."

He looks upset with Felix for not agreeing with him, the rage in his eyes smouldering into sadness. Disappointment. A moment passes, and it's replaced by anger again. He curtly refuses to meet Felix's dark brown eyes.

It hurts.

Dropping the smaller boy with braces, he growls, shaking. The temperature seemed to drop by a few degrees. "I'm out, then. Enjoy your alliance, Lee."

With that, Changbin leaves again. A cold feeling sinks into Felix's chest. What did he mean by that?

Jeongin is clutching his own throat, whimpering. Tears had collected in the corner of his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Felix limps to the younger boy, resting a hand on his shoulder to steady himself. Jeongin sniffles, not responding when Felix sinks down next to him.

Jisung is holding a hand over his heart, trying to relax. "Felix, I'm sorry--"

"Don't apologize. It's okay." Felix gently pulls Jeongin into a small hug, and reaches out to pat Jisung's shoulder. "It'll be okay. Changbinnie will just have to warm up to the idea, y'know? He will after he cools off."

At least, Felix prayed he would. Changbin's attitude seemed final. Betrayed.

Jisung slowly nods, relaxing. Jeongin's tears slowly dry up.

"I tried to follow you as soon as you passed me that bag, Felix." The younger boy is mumbling, slightly embarrassed. They're sitting in a circle now, Felix back in his sleeping bag.

"That's how I got that sword. Some other kid saw me follow you and w-went for me." Jeongin pulls his sleeve up, revealing a bandaged wound on his elbow. "He got his sword tangled with the backpack, and we fell down the hill. So, I stole the sword from him and ran away as fast as I could."

Jisung rests a hand on the younger boy's knee. "I was very lucky. We ran into each other pretty quickly yesterday. It almost felt like we were drawn to each other."

Felix frowns, remembering how worried he had felt the longer Changbin was away. Maybe it was this whole team linking thing that had kept them together?

He stares at the red mark on the back of his wrist: the tracking device of the games. Maybe there was a lot more to it that they didn't know about.

Jisung and Jeongin had taken off their backpacks, unzipping them and emptying them of their contents. As well as Changbin and Felix's supplies, they had a sleeping bag, iodine and a water bottle, a large sheet of plastic, a few small loaves of bread, rolls of bandages, medical cotton, a bar of soap and a bundle of crossbow bolts. There is also another strange vial at the bottom of Jeongin's pack.

Felix frowns, holding up the vial of dark brown liquid questioningly. Jeongin smiles brightly. "It's a type of antiseptic from my district. We used it on my cut and it stopped it from getting infected."

"Ohh." That made sense. Jisung stretches, grasping his spear.

"I'll sit watch for a while, if you don't mind us staying. Last night we couldn't relax out there in the woods and Innie needs to sleep."

The younger tries to protest, but Jisung waves away his words, leaving the two alone.

Felix is still holding the vial. "Maybe this stuff will help my leg? It's pretty far gone."

Changbin hadn't looked at it this morning, but the second Felix had peeled his pants and the bandage off it's easy to see the infection has spread. The red lines that had calmed down last night had dark bruising around it now, yellow and purple streaks running through the edges of the infection. Where the tourniquet had been was a red painful line.

Jeongin frowns as he looks down at the wound, taking over for Changbin. He shivers, gently touching Felix's feverish skin.

"That looks really bad, Felix. Are you sure it was just a knife?"

"I've got it here," he mumbles, holding their stolen dagger up. It's relatively normal looking. "I don't think it helped that I fell in the mud... and then got dragged through the mud... and then fell down a cliff."

Jeongin laughs, flashing his braces. It's cute and bell like, and instantly relaxes the blonde. "Let me try the antiseptic."

Using a spare cotton from their stash, he dips it into the dark brown liquid and carefully dabs it onto the gauze. It stings, and Felix hisses.

He'd never seen a wound this bad before. The worst he had seen was a few years ago. The fifteen year old Chan had gotten up early for work, and impaled his foot on a lone fish hook. His rubber sole shoes did nothing to prevent it from sinking into his skin.

Chan had limped home, and managed to get some medical attention and the metal removed. However, their family was unable to afford their yearly vaccinations and Chan had fallen quite sick for the next few weeks. Felix had vivid memories of running cool bandages to his sweating older cousin in bed. He had watched him groan in pain as the muscles in his neck and jaw spasmed for the next few days.

Felix shivers at the memory, praying the same wouldn't happen to him.

With the antiseptic dabbed into his wound, Jeongin carefully rewraps it with shaky hands. "Okay. I'm gonna try to sleep now."

"Come sleep here, Jeongin." Felix is cold now, shivering into the sleeping bag. The younger doesn't hesitiate before he slips into the sleeping bag next to him, quickly falling asleep. The younger boy twitches every few minutes, startling Felix out of his own dozy state.

After what feels like a few minutes, he feels someone gently shake his shoulder. He blinks, dreary eyed.

"Sorry to wake you up," Jisung whispers. He looks exhausted. The afternoon sun is highlighting the dark shadows under his eyes. "Do you mind taking watch for a little while so I can sleep?"

Felix nods, quickly unzipping the sleeping bag to trade places with the boy from District 7. He crawls to their stash of supplies to retrieve the spare sleeping bag, but his fingers brush along the waxy edge of the soap as he does.

He pauses for a moment, before unceremoniously sniffing his clothes. Did he smell bad? He had been cooped up in this cave for at least 24 hours now, only leaving to crawl a few metres to go to the bathroom.

Tucking the sleeping bag and the soap under his arm, Felix limps out of the cave, careful to not put his full weight on his injured leg.

The waterfall seemed to be running slower today, and was a lot more quieter. The sun shone above, casting an orange glow across the arena, and Felix squints as his eyes adjust to the light.

Tucking himself behind some rocks, Felix strips off his outer clothes, quickly washing it and his limbs in the spray. It felt good to scrub the caked mud off his skin, leaving it clean. The dirt under his nails took more work, and he gave up after a few minutes of trying to clean under them.

Leaving his shirt, socks and pants on the rocks to dry, he shivers as the cool breeze brushes against his warm skin. The synthetic sleeping bag wrapped around him helped keep some of the warmth in, but didn't stop the insistent shiver of his fever.

After a little while, he slips the still damp clothes back on, camping at the entrance of the cave with Jisung's spear. His stomach rumbled, but he didn't feel like eating. The glands of his neck had started to hurt, distracting him from the hunger he felt.

Night has almost fully fallen now. The shadow of dusk had fallen across the arena.

There would be no sky announcement today. During the day,  there had been no cannon shots, which could either be a good thing or a very bad thing. Normally, most tributes would fall within the first few days, leaving the rest to eventually be picked off. He shivers. The arena was like a game of cat and mouse.

The game makers liked to play with their food before making their kill, so hopefully they were safe for now.

His worried thoughts went to Changbin again. He felt dull in his stomach, similarly to how he had yesterday after the cannon shots. It was very late now, and there was still no sign of the black-haired boy again.

Felix hoped he was okay, wishing he could run into the forest and look for him. The ghost of the kisses they had shared dredged into his memory, and he shivers, his cheeks reddening.

Maybe it was his lack of sleep that made him paranoid, but Felix nearly jumps out of his skin when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

It's Jeongin. He's yawning, and his voice is quiet and sleepy.  "Do you wanna sleep some more? I'll take over."

The blonde shakes his head, then realizes the younger probably can't see him properly in the dark lighting. "I think I'll stay up a little longer."

Jeongin makes a humming sound before settling next to Felix, tucking himself into the sleeping back and shivering. It was cold again.

"...No sign of Changbin?"

"None," Felix whispers, disheartened. "I hope he's okay."

"Mm, same. Even though he got super mad at Sungie and I."

A short silence falls again. Then, Jeongin pokes his side. His voice is teasing and curious. "Hey. What exactly is going on between you and Changbin anyway? I've never seen bandages so carefully wrapped in my life."

Felix jolts from the ticklish feeling, swatting his hand away. "We're friends. I think. ...He kissed me the last night."

Jeongin makes a sound of understanding, before chuckling. "Gross. I don't know how you can kiss someone who's face is the same shape as a slice of watermelon."

The words sink in, and then Felix giggles.

"Oh my God, you're right."

The two quietly laugh together, cheering the blonde up immensely. He liked Jeongin a lot.

"Thanks for doing what you did during the Bloodbath, Felix." Jeongin whispers the words, resting his head gently on his shoulder. "I don't think I would be here if you hadn't."

"...Anytime, Jeonginnie."

\----------

Sitting watch with Jeongin was a lot nicer than sitting in silence, but Felix eventually pushed the boy to go back to sleep, leaving him alone again.

His body felt more feverish with each passing hour, leaving him sweating in the warm sleeping bag. However, the cold night air only made him shiver and feel worse.

Dew had started to fall on the grass when a strange cannon shot suddenly goes off, startling the blonde. Another team had fallen. So early in the morning, too.

He vaguely wondered what had happened, slowly relaxing, when he hears an odd sound.

It was voices in the distance. The blonde frowns, gripping the spear tighter, ready to scream for Jisung and Jeongin.

It was then he suddenly recognized them, and almost dropped his spear in shock.

"...Channie?" The words come out as a whisper, but the voice grows louder from within the forest.

" _Felix, please help me!_ "

His heart jolts, stabbing it with pain. It couldn't be Chan. Felix had left him behind in District 14 to protect him.

Then, he heard his mothers voice, screaming out for her son. They were getting louder, and Felix cries out in response.

"M-Mom?"

The closer it got, the realer it sounded.

This was the Quarter Quell. Maybe they had kidnapped them, and were holding them hostage and he really did need to save them.

Before he can think rationally, another voice cuts in.

"Felix!" The husky voice sounds strangled and pained. Afraid. "Please, _help_ me!"

Changbin.

Without hesitating, he's on his feet with the spear in hand. Ignoring the pain in his leg and a confused Jisung, he limps into the forest, pure adrenaline and panic pumping through his system.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the smaller chapter update!! Ive kind of been going through a rough patch and been unable to get any real sleep in so concentrating is super hard. my friend has been giving me a lot of hell for liking skz because theyre her favourite group and it disheartened me from continuing for a bit. its okay though, I managed to crank out this chapter because of the insomnia <3 let me know what you think! I'll try really hard for the next chapter during the ~arena event~


	12. Chapter 12

"Changbin!" Felix's deep voice rips through the dark forest, desperate regardless of how stupid shouting in the middle of the Hunger Games was. Trying to follow the voices proved to be difficult. It seemed to come from one direction, and then another, leading him into a seemingly endless maze.

The moment he entered the forest, Felix was lost. The dark shadowy trees, stark white ghost gums, and strange spiky plants made it impossible to know the way back. They whipped his face and clothes as he passed. Thorns got caught in his hair and clothes, leaving spiky indents.

The voices become more desperate the louder they grew, driving Felix near insane with panic. He wished he could run.

Finally, the blonde had managed to nearly make it before his leg gave out entirely.

Crashed on the forest floor and unable to continue moving, Felix cries out, frustrated. The voices stung his heart.

"Chan!" Whimpering in pain, he drops the spear and presses his hands over his ears, willing it to all go away. "Changbinnie!"

The voices taunted him, changing in tone. It seemed to come from all angles, jeering and laughter mixed with the screams from his family.

Laughter of the fallen. He could hear Lisa's high pitched giggle cutting through the din.

It made him feel sick.

He lets out a scream, voice cracking, pressing his hands over his ears.

Then, strong hands are on his shoulders.

Felix refuses to look up, until he is made to by the hands moving to cup his jaw. His face is angled up, making him whimper.

In the dark, he can make out a longer face and haunted eyes.  Changbin.

He's shouting something at Felix, but he can't understand it through the sound. A sob rips through his chest as the voices grow louder still, mingling with his own screams.

The black-haired boy's hands slip down to shake his shoulders now, turning to look back at something in the woods. Felix can barely register what is happening until he sees the glint of another tributes jacket. The boy from District 3, Jackson, emerges. A throwing axe was ready in his hands, reflecting off the shadowy moonlight.

And then, he's being scooped up by Changbin bridal style. Still with his hands clasped over his ears, he sobs as Changbin tries to run from the tribute. They get a few metres before the black-haired boy suddenly drops to the floor, tripping.

Winded and sprawled across the floor a few metres ahead, Felix's panic intensifies when he sees the axe sticking out of Changbin's shoulder.

Suddenly, the voices didn't matter anymore.

"Changbin!" Felix screamed out the black-haired boys name as Jackson catches up and steps on his back, digging the axe into his shoulder more. A smug smile is on his lips as he watches Changbin's face twist in pain.

He yanks it out, causing Changbin to yell, teeth gritted. Blood pooled to the surface of his long sleeve shirt, red glinting in the faint light.

Jackson raises the axe again to finish the job, but Felix is already on his feet.

Ignoring the horrible pain in his leg, he lunges at the bigger boy. Caught off guard, the two tumble to the floor of the forest as Felix punches whatever part of Jackson he could reach.

He smashes his nose with his fist, causing the brown-haired Jackson to snarl and shout something at Felix. Being bigger, he manages to roll them over before pinning the small blonde down with his knees.

Strong hands suddenly grip his throat, and squeeze hard. Felix chokes, suddenly having his breath cut off, and desperately pulls at Jackson's hands to let him go.

He had a murderous look in his eyes as blood ran from his broken nose, enraged as he crushes the life out of Felix. Dark spots had started to filter into his vision until the hands suddenly slacken, and the voices go silent.

Jackson has a strange look in his eyes, and they both look down to see a sword stabbing straight through his midsection. He coughs blood, and it splatters onto Felix's face. Jackson's eyes roll up into his head as he slumps over sideways, still pinning Felix with his body.

The blonde starts screaming again.

"Hey, hey--" Two of the cannon shots suddenly go off as Changbin is pushing Jackson away from Felix. Clutching his hurt shoulder, he kneels next to Felix and reaches out to wipe the blood from his cheeks.

Scared, the blonde slaps his hand away, scurrying away. "D-Don't touch me!"

Changbin looks hurt by his words, dropping his hand suddenly. "Felix--"

"Wh-where were you all of today?" The emotions from today boil over, and he sobs. Trying to rub away the dirt he felt on his hands, Felix sits up and curls into a little ball.

"I wish I were dead!" He screams the words, disgust rising like bile as the stench of death overpowered him. "I don't want to watch another person die!"

Changbin is silent for a while, letting Felix rock himself and cry before folding and wrapping his arms around the fragile boy. A hovercraft appears, taking Jackson's body away. It still had the sword in it. Felix wanted to vomit.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, voice cracking. "I want you to live. I'm so sorry for the way I acted this morning."

Felix cries harder, pulling him close and feeling his lips ghost his forehead, his cheek. Changbin gently kisses the tears away until Felix was finally calm. The blonde boy runs his fingers up his strong arms, before his small hands meet blood.

Then, he remembered their situation.

"O-Oh, Changbin. Your shoulder."

The black-haired boys face twitches. "I won't be able to carry you, but we need to get back to the cave. The woods are dangerous at night."

Felix nods, feeling Changbin tuck his good arm around his thinner body to hoist him up. He sighs, looking around and squinting as he tucks it under his shoulders to keep the blonde upright.

"This way."

They trek through the forest like a strange three legged race. Supporting each other was the only way they would make it. It was easier now than it would have before, as they were only laden down with the bow and arrow across Changbin's back. He only had 2 arrows remaining in the quiver, making Felix question what had happened to leave him with so few.

Focusing instead on walking, he's relieved to finally hear the trickle of water. A worried Jeongin stands at the mouth of the cave, relief washing over him at the sight.

"Oh, thank God." He runs forward to wrap an arm around Felix before Changbin all but collapses on the ground. "J-Jisung! Come quick!"

The boy from District 7 emerges, hissing at the sight of Changbin on the floor. He crouches next to him, carefully removing the backpack from him. "Changbinnie, lets get you inside."

After Jeongin helps Felix clean the caked blood on his face, he helps the blonde inside. Changbin is groaning in pain as Jisung slowly helps him lay face down on top of a sleeping bag. Jisung grabs a little torch from his pocket. It confuses Felix. When had he gotten that?

The little torch proved to be useful, lighting up the cave well. Shining the light, you can see the blood glisten and damaged muscle underneath. Felix suddenly retches, only just getting out of the cave in time to vomit bile into a nearby tree.

His empty stomach protested, but on top of the sickness he already felt from his fever, the sickness from the blood proved stronger as he retched again. It burned, but more came up.

After desperately drinking some water down, he limps back inside.

Changbin is whimpering. His shirt is off now, exposing the size of the wound. Its long and deep, right next to his shoulder bone wing. Any lower and it would have broken a rib.

Felix sinks to the floor next to him, shivering and taking his cold hand in his own.

Changbin frowns, turning to Felix.

"Your fever is worse than this morning."

A dry laugh escapes the blonde. "Rest, Changbin."

Jeongin, preparing their medical supplies nearby, hurriedly rushes to Changbin's side. His hands are shaky as he uses the water bottle to clean the wound, splashing more than he needed to.

Changbin hisses in pain, gritting his teeth at the sensation. The young boy messily cleans the wound and blasts it with disinfectant.

"I think you need stitches," he mumbles, wincing. He's holding the last of their gauze. It doesnt fit the length of the wound, so he uses the dagger to cut it in half lengthways. After carefully putting the two pieces on, he does his best to bandage it up. The bandage ran from Changbin's shoulder to his underarm and then looped up to sit around his neck.

"Felix," he groans suddenly. "The bag."

The blonde lets go of his hand to turn around and collect the bag from this morning. Opening it, he can understand why Changbin ran a little slower than normal. There's a bag of presumably stolen apples, a loaf of bread and a couple of small cooked rat-like creatures nestled inside.

"Did you get all of this today?" He raises an eyebrow, and Jisung peers inside. His jaw drops at the sight.

Changbin nods, nuzzling his face into the sleeping bag. "Eat. I need to eat, too."

Felix doesn't hesitate before digging into an apple, and feeds Changbin small pieces of bread and meat as he lays down. After a moment of hesitation, the other two boys also join them for a meal. They hadn't eaten nor hunted all day, instead deciding to resting. They're left with an apple each for tomorrow, half of the bread and no more meat.

After tallying their total weapons, now that they had no spear and no sword, Jisung offers to sit watch so Felix and Changbin can rest. Felix argues that he doesn't feel well enough to sleep, wanting to avoid being alone and thinking about Jackson's lifeless face. It was partially true. The glands around his neck pulsed with pain ever since he had left the cave.

A tinkling sound interrupts their discussion. Felix cocks his head, but Jeongin suddenly looks excited.

"Ah! A sponsor donation."

Racing to the mouth of the cave, he returns with a little gold box. He grins, crinkling his eyes at a flustered Jisung.

"I wonder if its from your secret admirer, Sungie."

"Secret admirer?" Felix is confused, watching Jeongin open the box. Inside is a couple rolls of bandages, more disinfectant and gauze. A decent first aid kit to refill their emptier one.

"Yeah. During our first night they sent us that little torch and said it was nothing compared to the light of Jisung's smile." He elbows the farmer boy, passing him the box so he can read the paper inside. "I think it is from him again. I'm not sure how he's getting past our mentors with these messages."

Jisung takes a moment to read it, and his cheeks darken considerably.

"What does it say?" Felix is curious now, seeing Jeongin giggle, having already read it.

Jisung mumbles the words, hiding his face in his hands.

"What?"

"It said--" Jeongin starts, giggling harder. "It said, 'you need this more than I do. no medical kit can heal what you do to my heart. - M'."

Felix visibly cringes at the cheesy words, seeing Jisung flush red. "H-Hey! They're for me and me only to read for a reason, thank you!"

The blonde laughs at his embarrassed response, his heart lightening again. "That's good that you're getting sponsorship. I... I wonder if Changbin and I will."

He glances over at the now-sleeping black-haired boy, frowning. If the infection in his leg was bad still, he would need Capital level medicine.

Maybe Jaebum was just holding out their sponsorship prizes in hopes of sending some. It must be expensive.

Still blushing, Jisung clicks the torch light off, leaving them in darkness as he moves to take watch. Jeongin nestles into their sleeping bag to the side, giving Changbin and him some needed space.

Felix tucks Changbin into the sleeping bag, before shimmying in next to him. It wakes the black-haired boy up. He blinks sleepily at him, turning his head.

"'Lix," he mumbles, and the blonde cuddles into his shoulder, loosely wrapping an arm around his waist.

"I'm here." A pang of nervousness hits him as he leans in and softly kisses Changbin. "I'm... sorry about before. About pushing you away."

He doesn't respond for a second, but then frowns. "I don't blame you. I've killed people."

A shaky sigh escapes him, and he turns around. Felix shivers in response, before tucking his face into his shoulder to sleep.

\----------

Dreams of faceless tributes haunted his mind as Felix slept, jerking him awake.

The sun was shining outside, and Felix groans, pressing his face into Changbin's shoulder. He felt stiff. His neck and jaw hurt, when Felix tries to wet his mouth he instantly groans from the pain of trying to open his mouth.

Pressing his hands flat against his cheeks, he starts crying from the pain. It felt like his glands were going to explode.

Changbin shifts, pushing himself up with his good arm. "What's wrong?"

Felix simply whines in response, holding his hands above his neck as he winced in pain. He felt the muscle twitch and spasm beneath. Changbin frowns, sitting up and pressing a hand to Felix's forehead.

"Your fever--" A look of horror dawns on him as he suddenly yanks down Felix's pants. The wound had deep red lines etched around it, fanning out like a spider web. He hisses at the sight.

"You need medicine--"

He tries to stand, wobbling. Jisung was asleep at this point, but Jeongin overheard the commotion and came back inside.

"No, no. You need to rest." The younger boy gently grips Changbin's arm, directing him to sit back down. "Jisungie and I talked about it. He's going to try to find your medicine today. The cornucopia probably had some inside it, and if it hasn't been used it'll still be near there."

Changbin growls, pressing a hand to the swollen gland of Felix's neck. He whimpers in pain.

"He's dying, Jeongin! This is lockjaw. I'm not going to sit around and wait for him to get sicker."

The younger boy winces, slightly afraid. "You can't use your bow with your arm like that--"

"Yeah, but I'm right handed. I can still throw a good punch, use a one handed weapon and tie a knot. I'll be fine." He stands up again, much to Felix's whining protests.

"Changbin--" Felix tries to speak, waves of pain crashing through him. The black-haired boy glances down, before sighing.

"I'll take Jisung with me." That seems to relax Jeongin a bit, and they both move to wake him up. The round faced boy blinks before sitting up, yawning. Changbin is murmuring to him, quiet enough that Felix couldn't hear, but he can see Jisung's expression twist into worry very quickly.

"We'll be back in a couple hours," Jisung says, patting Jeongin on the shoulder. He crouches down to grip Felix's clammy hand.

"Changbinnie and I will get your medicine, don't you worry. We'll be back with dinner." He winks, dropping the hand, and Changbin sinks down next to him also.

He gently pushes the blonde hair from Felix's eyes. His view swam with tears, making Changbin appear blurry as he leaned down to gently kiss his forehead.

"Rest, Felix. Don't do anything stupid."

The two collect an empty backpack each and the dagger, and disappear into the woods. Jeongin stands at the mouth of the cave, watching them leave, before turning back to Felix.

"Th-They'll be okay." He pats Felix's shoulder, before carefully sitting him up and raising the water bottle to his lips. "You need to keep your fluids up."

Opening his mouth an inch, Felix lets him trickle the cool water inside. A worried feeling blossomed inside of him.

Changbin and Jisung needed to make it back.

Felix felt sick knowing they were risking their lives for his sake.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter!! some drama. I love jackson from got7 so i felt super bad writing him like this hahah
> 
> I have a new fic up too! its called the new kid and it's minsung. Go check it out!! ill probably be updating both a little slower than normal cause I'm busy with uni and cosplay stuff but I'll do my best


	13. Chapter 13

Is this what dying felt like?

Laying in his sleeping bag, Felix cries in pain as another uncontrollable spasm takes over his body. He'd laid like this for hours, unable to move. His fever had skyrocketed, making everything around him cold.

He'd never felt pain like this. Every cut, scrape or bruise he had ever recieved before now was nothing compared to this. It felt like his blood pressure was spiking, and about to explode.

His leg wound was a nasty purple, and had been hidden away again. There was nothing that could be done for it now. If he was lucky, he wouldn't lose his leg.

If he survived the Games, that was.

A worried Jeongin had tried to feed Felix food and trickle water into his mouth. The blonde could see he was stressing over him, and wanted to tell him not to worry, that he would be okay.

At this point, however, Felix didn't know if he would be okay.

He just wanted Changbin and Jisung to come back as soon as possible, with his medicine. Safe and sound.

Crying out in pain after a particularly bad wave, he clutches his neck. God, how Felix wished Chan were nearby. The memory of hearing his cousin's comforting voice brought tears to his eyes. He just wanted Chan to tuck him into bed, kiss his forehead, and tell him everything would be okay.

That or Changbin. He missed the kisses they had shared that very first night. Ever since, they hadn't done anything like that, whether out of nerves or the situation. Felix now regretted their decision, wishing Changbin would return soon.

Jeongin comes back to his side with the water bottle. "  
"Felix--"

Cracking open his mouth as much as he could, Jeongin carefully gives him another drink. Felix watches him: the younger's face was slightly twisted as he concentrated.

Changbin and Jisung hadn't yet returned, and Felix was worried sick. He was worried about how the black-haired boy's shoulder was affecting him. Given the two of them only had a bow and a dagger, the chances of their survival were relatively low.

Looking down at the red mark on his wrist, Felix wished he and Changbin weren't linked in this way. The anxiety of knowing that if he died from this disease, that Changbin would pass away too, stressed him out immensely.

Felix is distracted by this thoughts by Jeongin pulling the water bottle away. Feeding him small pieces of bread, Jeongin sighs. "I... I hope they're okay. It's been ages."

Unable to respond, Felix hums in response. He shivers, and Jeongin gently runs his fingers through his hair. "Are you feeling better?"

The younger boy had looked scared since the moment Felix woke up. The blonde shakes his head in response, groaning at the movement. His body and muscles ached with sickness. This was like the flu, but way worse, and wondered if when Chan was this unwell he felt the same.

Felix hated getting sick. He wanted to be out there in the arena, and able to protect his friends at all costs.

As Jeongin moved to pull away, Felix reaches up to grasp his wrist. The younger pauses, worry filling his features until Felix pats his pockets.

The blonde pulls out Chan's dear Rubiks Cube, opening the younger's larger hand and placing the plastic toy in them.

"Play," he breathes, smiling softly at the younger. Jeongin blinks, before taking the Rubik's Cube.

"Oh, Felix... Is this your token?" He looks sad as he holds it. Felix nods, smiling softly.

"Thanks," he whispers, patting his hand. He tried to say 'thank you for looking after me', but Jeongin seemed to understand anyway.

Jeongin settles next to Felix, and the elder rests his head against his lap. He watches him fidget with the cube, groaning in pain every few minutes.

The sky outside seems to darken quickly. Jeongin, concerned, glances outside the cave entrance.

"There's a storm coming... They'd better get back soon."

Returning to his spot next to Felix, it isn't long before the patter of rain joins the sounds from outside the cave. 

It starts out slow at first, before increasing in heaviness to become a full on downpour. A rumble of thunder joins them, and Felix whimpers.

The cave had become so dark. Normally, the moonlight would keep the arena illuminated, and reflect off their jackets easily to give their shelter a glow. However, now Felix could barely see Jeongin's face.

They jolt at the sound of two cannon shots, Felix crying in pain at the sudden movement. With his heart beating strong, he grips Jeongin's wrist, grateful he felt a pulse.

There's a flash of lightning that lights up the cave, illuminating the scared look on Jeongin's face. He'd long since abandoned the Rubik's Cube, seemingly too afraid to move. Felix slips his hand into his and squeezes it.

Jeongin shifts his body. "I-I don't like storms, Felix. Thanks for being here with me."

The blonde's heart softens. He could relate: ever since his father's death, he was wary of thunderstorms this aggressive. Back in District 14, boarding a boat with the skies like this was a death sentence, so he would spend the day in bed tucked under the covers. However, he knew he needed to stay strong for his young friend. 

Huddled together, they startle when Changbin and a breathless Jisung appear at the cave entrance.

Relief washes over Felix. He could almost cry at the sight of the two of them. However, worry quickly replaces him when he sees the state of Changbin's arm.

His sleeves are rolled up, exposing bright red burns running up and down his right forearm. Like that night after their final training session, the skin seems to be inflamed and stinging.

Jeongin scrambles to his feet. "Ch-Changbin-- Jisungie--"

"We need to move. Now." Jisung looks panicked, hurriedly catching his breath. His backpack is stuffed to the brim, and a sword in his hands. Changbin, with the bow over his shoulder, quickly enters to crouch down next to Felix.

"What? Right now?" Jeongin is confused as he watches Jisung collect their few supplies. The other sleeping bag is hazardously stuffed into the other backpack.

"We're being followed." Changbin's words are blunt. "We can explain later. For now, we need to go somewhere safer." Spotting the discarded Rubik's Cube next to Felix, Changbin carefully slips it into his pocket before scooping Felix up in his arms, sleeping bag and all.

He whimpers in pain, wrapping his arms around his neck. "'Bin," he rasps, the words coming out strange due to his jaw, "Your arm--"

"It's fine. We found it, Felix. We found the medicine." Due to their close proximity, Felix can feel how Changbin shakes under him. His warm breath fans across his face, and Felix buries his face in his neck. "I'll give it to you when it's safe."

Over the rain, voices can be heard in the distance. Fear floods his blood stream.

He feels Changbin stiffen. "Let's go."

Limp in the black-haired boy's arms, he's carried out into the rain, jostled slightly as the group run.

\----------

The rain is cold, but Changbin's body heat is warm. With the sky dark above, Felix is unable to pay attention to where exactly they're going. The tribute's following them appear in flashes through the forest, but they're unable to see the darkclad group well and eventually fall away from sight completely.

What had they done to make them this angry? The nightly sky announcement plays, but is hidden by the steely clouds above.

They ran as long as they could, but poor Jeongin wasn't made for long distance running like this. Panting, he holds his hand to his side, massaging away a stitch when they slow down to a walk.

"Where will we go?" Jeongin's voice sounds worried as thunder rumbles above them. The rain had lessened, but everything was still dark and very slippery. The waterproof jackets could only protect so much, leaving their hair drenched.

"Away from the cornucopia," Changbin says, still holding Felix bridal-style in his arms. He whimpers in pain after a particular jostle.

"Why?"

"Jeongin, we need to move--"

"Changbin, it's okay." Jisung had dropped all honorifics, his voice firm. "We're far enough away to at least explain it to them."

Felix feels Changbin's hands clench slightly, but soften as they walk. Peeking out, Felix blinks up at Changbin as water drips onto them from the trees above. "Fine."

He sighs, before speaking. His voice is deadpan, void of emotion. "We set fire to their supplies."

"You set fire to their... to their supplies?" Jeongin's voice is faint, and Jisung awkwardly laughs.

"It was all Changbin's plan." Jisung is embarrassed, looking away. "There's a team of Career Tributes and their team mates all camped out near the cornucopia. They had moved all the important stuff to their own camp, leaving behind leftover weapons, food, and the medicine Felix needs... So, Changbin used his last few arrows to set it on fire."

A silence falls, save for pained sounds from Felix. "How?" Felix finally mumbles, confused.

"The same way I did during our private session," Changbin says, quietly. "Using the friction from two pieces of metal, I set it on fire. It's the basics of burning coal. The arrow burned me as it went, but it's okay. They were stupid enough to have it all piled together. It started a pretty big fire, actually, which is probably why the Game Makers sent this rain."

He squints at the sky, clenching his jaw. A rumble of thunder rolls through the sky. "The tributes around the camp saw me fall from the tree I was in, which was enough of a distraction for Jisung to slip by them and get to the medicine. They chased me for a while until we managed to meet up again, but they followed us most of the way back. It's safer we find somewhere new, away from them."

They walk in silence for a while longer. Felix is marvelled by Changbin's strength, especially given the shoulder injury that should be inhibiting him.

A strange buzzing sound slowly joins the sounds from around them, confusing Felix. Like the electric fence surrounding his home district, it sounded like a live wire.

"What's that sound?" Jisung sounds nervous, clutching his sword close.

"The force field."

In the dark, the buzzing sound was very intimidating. Felix whimpers, gripping Changbin's neck.

"We're close," he murmurs to the blonde, jostling him slightly. "Don't worry."

Changbin ducks under a shelter, finally out of the rain. Felix blinks, looking out.

They're in a rocky alcove, surrounded by bush. It juts out, leaving a large open space beneath for them to shelter under. It wasn't as hidden as their last cave, but it was good to be out of the rain.

Jisung gets his small torch out, shining it to illuminate the cave. Their small group is completely drenched. They shake off their coats, taking them off, and Jeongin squeezes the water out of his hair.

Changbin carefully lowers Felix to the floor, smoothing his wet hair back as he does. "Okay. Jisung, pass me the backpack."

The farmer complies, passing him the stolen backpack as he and Jeongin settle on the floor. They shiver from the damp cold.

While Changbin looks through it's contents, the rain hardens again. Jeongin shivers, resting a hand on Felix's feverish forehead. "We need to dry off... would it be dumb to start a fire?"

"Just start one anyway, for a short while. Do we have matches?" Changbin frowns, peering into the bag. Jisung nods.

"Yes. I grabbed a pack." Jisung takes over from Changbin, pulling out some supplies. Glass clinks together as he pulls out a metal container of salve, a syringe, vials of clear liquid and the matches. The two leave Changbin and Felix alone to begin the fire near the mouth of the cave, using loose twigs that had blown under.

Changbin picks up a vial, and squints as he reads the writing. Felix rolls over to watch him, wincing in pain as his muscles spasm.

"This might sting, 'Lix." Changbin frowns, picking up the syringe. He carefully draws the clear liquid up into it, however his hands are shaking from cold. "Jeongin. Come here."

The youngest quickly comes to Changbin's side, worried. The fire behind them started to crackle and burn to life, and Felix sees a flash of Jisung warming his hands next to it when Jeongin shifts.

"Here," Changbin carefully passes him the syringe, his voice low. "I'm going to hold him down. You just need to inject it into his upper arm."

Gulping, Jeongin nods feverishly. He looks nervous at being given such a job, holding the syringe awkwardly.

Changbin shifts to near Felix's head, gently holding his neck and upper arm. He whines, the pressure causing pain against the glands of his neck.

"Okay, go." Changbin seems to know exactly what he's doing. Felix wondered where he had learned this, but is interrupted by Jeongin shakily injecting him with the serum.

Nobody in District 14 ever had access to this miracle serum from the Capital, but he had seen it used before on television. It hurt, but would repair and restore as much as it could as it travelled throughout the body.

It didn't just sting. It felt like Jeongin was injecting red-hot liquid into his arm. Felix cries out in pain, his body recoiling as Changbin holds him down.

Jeongin quickly withdraws the syringe as Felix writhes in pain. It spread throughout his body, burning. Tears streak down his cheeks, and he grits his teeth to deal with the pain. If Changbin's strong arms shift, sliding down to pin his thinner arms down. Worry paints the dark-haired boy's face.

It spread, down to the tips of his fingers and toes, to the ends of his hair, to every part of him before slowly cooling down. He relaxes his furled limbs, gasping, his jaw opening wide.

"Changbin--" he rasps, and then reaches up to grip his arms. He relaxes, releasing his steely hold.

"Are you okay?" There's hope in his voice, and Jeongin looks scared. Jisung, interested, pokes his head into view.

"Did it work?" Jisung is alarmed as Felix suddenly sits up, carefully peeling down his pants. The before bright purple wound on his leg had softened into pink: it was still damaged, but on the road to recovery.

The group let out a collective sigh of relief, and Felix sobs. He grips Changbin's shoulders, pulling him into a hug. Jeongin looks overjoyed from his position nearby, a metal grin stretching across his childish cheeks, and Jisung looks beyond relieved from near the fire.

"Changbinnie-- You saved me--" The black-haired boy pulls him close, letting Felix cry into his shoulder. Overwhelmed, he looks down at the black-haired boy before locking lips with him, moving his fingers to thread into his dark locks. They stay like this for a moment, before a yelp from Jisung breaks them out of their stupor.

"No, he hasn't."

They stiffen at the sound of the unknown voice before springing apart. Felix suddenly jolts away from him, and Changbin snarls, moving in front of the blonde boy as if to protect him.

It proved to be unnecessary.

The tall boy from District 2, with a look of bloodlust in his eyes, had Jisung gripped in a chokehold with a knife against his throat. Kang Soohyun. His team mate, a smaller female, had a shaky crossbow poised straight for an enraged Changbin's face.

Kim Jisoo. The girl tribute from District 9. Recognition seems to flit between the two for a moment before Soohyun speaks again. His dark eyes flash, pressing the knife enough against Jisung's throat to create beads of blood against the sharp metal.

"We wouldn't want anything bad to happen, now would we?"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hihi here's an update fellas
> 
> I've been so busy with tafe and stuff but finally got motivation to write this chapter up!! i hope y'all enjoy and aren't about to come for my neck hahah
> 
> if you're interested you guys are more than welcome to follow my personal insta!! its @shayminion_personal


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the hiatus but here we go boyles and goyles, im done with uni and tafe for now lets get it
> 
> just a warning for torture and homophobic slurs. I really dont like using them so it was hard for me to write this. it probs is why this chapter took so long not gonna lie

 

Nobody dared to move, not even to breathe. Jeongin, fear in his eyes, held his hands up in surrender, which unfroze Changbin and Felix.

"What do you want?" The black-haired boy doesn't move from his protective position, but Felix can see how his eyes flicker between Soohyun and Jisoo. Jisung whimpers as the knife digs in deeper against his throat, his hands gripping Soohyun's wrists.

Felix knew full well if Soohyun wanted them dead, he would have killed Jisung by now. Fear injected into his veins at the twisted smile curling onto Soohyun's face.

"I wanna know why you fucked up our shit so bad," Soohyun is grinning. "It wasn't very nice for you to do."

Changbin swallows, and Felix can see he is searching for the right words.

In the Hunger Games, it wasn't uncommon for tributes to be driven to a point of insanity. One wrong word and they'd all wind up dead.

They come out carefully and thoughtful, but Felix could see Changbin's fist tightening from behind his back. They're both weaponless, save for the syringe Jeongin had dropped to the ground. "It was necessary--"

"It was selfish," he hisses, his hand shaking slightly. Jisoo's eyes dart to his face, then back again. "The flames killed two of my allies."

Felix can she that she is scared.

He tightens the blade, murderous rage pooling from him. "An eye for an eye."

Felix and Jeongin scream as he draws the blade across Jisung's throat and drops him to the ground, cutting not just him but the life from him. Nobody could repair that cut in the games. It went deep, choking Jisung on his own blood as he tries to breathe. Jeongin, sobbing, falls to his knees.

Jisung's blood pools around him. All they could do was watch him gasp and try to take in air. Felix makes a motion to move, but Changbin grasps his shoulder. His face is wiped of emotion, but his fingers dig in hard into Felix's shoulder. The dying boy's eyes turning glassy as he looks to Felix.

'Live,' he mouths, before his eyes go blank. Jeongin suddenly lets out a gasp, grasping his heart. His fingers flex, shaking, as if trying to clutch the beating muscle.

"J-Jeongin--" Felix reaches a hand out, suddenly reanimating at the sight. The young boy chokes, his breathing raspy as he falls forwards. Two cannon shots go off, definitive and final, as Jeongin slumps to the ground. Felix, his veins icy and numb, suddenly feels light headed.

Shock had injected into Felix's veins, watching his two friends, who moments ago were breathing and laughing, were now gone.

It's only when Soohyun steps over Jisung's corpse, without a  
care in the world, does he move.

He lunges forwards, tearing out of Changbin's grasp. His hands balled in a fists and he smashes one into the taller boy's face.

Soohyun, probably caught of guard by the power behind the punch, staggers back before snarling and raising the knife. Felix moves to punch him again, but strong hands trap his arms in place and yank him backwards as the knife swipes at him.

"Felix, don't!" Changbin had pulled him back deeper into the cave, pushing the blonde behind him to protect him. Soohyun, enraged, grasps Changbin by the scruff of his shirt and shoves him away from Felix, knife glinting in hand.

"You're pushing your luck now, faggots." Soohyun's voice rasps the words. He's faster and bigger than Changbin, and grasps his throat with one hand and squeezes. The black-haired boy lets out a strangled gasp, his hands moving to pull at Soohyun's huge hands. Grinning, Soohyun holds the knife to his face, overpowering the smaller boy quickly. The sharp metal tip rests on the corner of his eye, dangerously close, too close for Felix to risk pulling his arm away. "I was gonna let you both off scot-free with a painless death, but after the disrespect I just recieved from your boyfriend, I think I'll play this one out. Let's start with these big black eyes, shall we?"

"Don't hurt him!" Felix's words are pitiful as he drops to the ground, tears collecting in the corner of his eyes. Soohyun tuts, turning to the blonde. "H-Hurt me instead."

"Being brave for your lover, are we?" His grip tightens, and Changbin begins to turn purple before Soohyun lowers the knife and throws the shorter to the ground. Felix hurries to his side, grazing his knees on the rocky surface, but Soohyun suddenly grasps Felix by his blonde hair and yanks him away before he can get too close. The younger cries out in pain. "Tie Changbin up, Jisoo. We're gonna make this a fun time."

Meek, she complies, shaking as she drops the unused crossbow. Pulling a length of rope from her pocket, she ties it around a still-dazed Changbin's wrists. Her long red hair falls, creating a curtain between them.

Felix can't see what she does though, because Soohyun has grabbed him and dragged him to the corner again. He pins Felix's arms down with his knees, holding the knife close to his skin. Felix gasps at the cold metal against his cheek.

"This skin condition..." he growls the words, digging the tip of the knife in. He whimpers. "Jisoo, sit Changbin up."

She seems to be hesitating, as Felix can't move to look. "Soohyun--"

"Jisoo," he growls, and he can hear shuffling from the side. Felix shuts his eyes as he digs the knife in deeper, the stench of death all around him.

"Let's start with these pretty little freckles." Soohyun grips his chin, holding him in place.

Felix hisses in pain as he slices into his cheek, shaking under the cold metal. His blood was burning and red hot against knife, but he didn't dare shift, trying his best to seem unphased by the sensation. Only able to last a few seconds before the pain is unbearable, he flails his arms, trying to escape the sharp ess. His yell turns into a scream as Soohyun digs in deeper, carving and twisting the knife.

Felix can hear Changbin yelling, telling Soohyun to stop, but he doesn't. Instead, he leans in closer, his longish hair falling.

"I didn't like your little display during the opening ceremony," he growls, releasing the pressure on the knife for a moment to move. Felix grits his teeth as it sinks in again, but cries out from the sensation when it moves. It's jagged, and blood drips from his face. He felt strangely lightheaded. "Nor did I like your little boyfriend's interview. You're disgusting."

He digs it in deeper, and Felix screams again. The pain was searing hot.

"Stop!" Changbin is sobbing at this point, and Felix can see a flash of him as he tries to escape Jisoo's grasp. She looks pained, holding his shoulders.

Soohyun moves the blade again, humming as he slices Felix's skin. "Maybe this will be a lesson, when this is all you're remembered for."

Finished with whatever handiwork he had done, Soohyun moves to cut into his other cheek when a tinkling sound alerts them.

Silence falls, save for the bell, and it takes them all a moment before they realize what it is.

"A sponsor gift," Soohyun says, grinning as the little box floats over to them. He grabs it before it can float to Felix.

"A bit stupid to send a gift right now," he says, dropping the knife. Felix groans as he pushes his weight heavier onto his arms, pins and needles running up and down them in response. His cheek stung. The cut ran along his cheek bone and across to his mouth, jagged and torn.

The gift is large, and he fiddles with the clasp on it. He finally gets it open, and peers in. A frown crosses his face.

"A... Rubber ducky?" He lifts the yellow plastic toy out of the box, confused. His eyes widens as he turns to Jisoo. There's a sudden black blur throwing themselves at Soohyun to shove him off, made easier thanks to his momentary confusion.

Felix cries out at the sudden release of weight, turning to his savior. Changbin stood over Soohyun, hurriedly turning to pull Felix up. His arms still bore rope burns, and his eyes bloodshot from being strangled and glinting in the light from Jisung's torch.

However, Felix couldn't be more grateful for the feeling of Changbin helping him to his feet. His small hands slid into the black-haired boy's as he is helped up.

They run, hand in hand. They don't look back, although Felix longed to run his fingers through Jeongin's soft hair one last time, even in death. A sob stuck in his throat as he avoids looking at his dead friends, knowing a hovercraft would come soon to collect them.

"You let them escape?!" The sound of a slap reverberates as they run into the forest, an enraged Soohyun hot on their tracks. Felix gasps, being led in hundreds of different directions into the night. They had no supplies, no backpacks, no sleeping bags. Felix had no idea where they were going, only knowing he needed to survive.

His blood crusted on his cheeks in the cold breeze, and he squeezed Changbin's hand harder.

\----------

Save for their breathe and the sky tribute to the fallen, all eventually falls silent around them. There's no enraged yells from Soohyun, no footsteps. It felt like they had run for hours, and a massive stitch stabbed at Felix's side as they finally slow down to a walk.

"Changbin--" His voice comes out high pitched, exasperated, but is cut off as the elder turns to lock lips with him.

The kiss ends as quickly as it was started, and in the faint moonlight Felix can see that Changbin's face is hard. "Don't you ever do that again. Ever."

Felix tries to speak, but is cut off as Changbin's shaky hands raise and cup his face, bringing his lips to the blonde's again. The kiss is longer this time, softer, and it takes him a moment to realize Changbin is crying.

"Changbin," he whispers, his own tears set off. Raising a sleeved arm to scrub at his own face, Felix relinks their hands as they begin walking again.

It was time to mourn.

A sob escapes, and they grip hands tighter. "Jisung and Jeongin..."

"I should have never let that happen to them," Changbin whispers, regret lacing his tone. His face is cast in shadows, but Felix can see the pain. He slides his fingers up and down his arm.

"It's not your fault, 'Bin."

A silence falls. Changbin neither agrees or disagrees, but his hands are still shaking slightly. Their surroundings had meshed together again, but they only kept walking, crying as quietly as they could. Felix felt weak, flashes of memory running through his mind. His hands felt dirty, but they stayed laced with Changbin's.

It's only when they find a thicket of bushes to hide in do they rest. It's uncomfortable, but neither of them planned on sleeping. They both stay silent for a while, until Changbin chokes out words.

"W-What that asshole did to you... I'll never forgive him." The black-haired boy's voice is laced with venom as he slips his hand into Felix's once more, almost crushing it as he squeezes it.

"No, I needed to protect you--"

"Felix." Changbin suddenly stops, his eyes flashing to the cut marks on his cheek. "He-- He marked you as something."

  
Felix feels confused, before suddenly remembering. The careful way Soohyun had carved into him. He raises a hand to his cheek, wincing in pain at the deep lacerations. Some still oozed with blood. "Wh-What does it say?"

"Something disgusting," he hisses, before gently grasping Felix's chin. He frowns, pressing his thumb next to the wound. The blonde winces, and Changbin mutters an apology.

"Just tell me what it says," Felix pesters, worried now.

Changbin looks away, his cheeks flushing red, before gently tracing the Korean hangul.

"Bottom."

Felix stiffens for a moment, before his cheeks burn bright red in response. The word was rarely used, but was used as a slur in a situation like this. "E-Excuse me?"

"I can't believe he did that," Changbin growls, before dropping his hand. He brings his knees up, resting his chin on them. Felix gently reaches out to hold his hand, but the black-haired boy shrugs it off.

"Changbin," Felix felt ashamed to have such a word carved into his face, and his actions stung. It's only when he sees Changbin shaking does he realize something is wrong.

"This is literally all my fault, Felix. It's been my fault ever since I met you."

The blonde's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "No, it's not--"

"Maybe, if I had just kept my feelings in check. If I hadn't... yielded every single time you did something stupidly cute or pitiful..." His hands ball into fists. "Th-Then maybe he wouldn't have done that to you. I dragged you into this, Felix. I'm sorry."

If Felix wasn't insanely weak from lack of sleep and losing blood, he would have punched Changbin by now.

"Hey, stop it." Felix forcefully uses both of his hands to unfurl Changbin's right fist. "It's kind of my own fault, too. We're literally in the middle of a killing arena, yet all I want to do is kiss you again."

Crickets chirp, breaking the silence before Changbin sighs. He seems distant again for a moment, before coming back to reality.

"...Do you really?" Changbin seems nervous, and Felix would have laughed if he wasn't already exhausted from such a long day.

If anything, he needed a distraction. Thoughts of the dead lingered at the back of his mind, and while Felix wished it had been him and not them who had been spared, he wanted to enjoy this tiny amount of time he had with Changbin to the fullest.

"Yes, idiot." Changbin's old name for Felix rolls off his tongue without a thought, and Changbin rasps out a soft laugh. The black-haired boy gently holds his chin. His voice goes higher.

"You're beautiful, Felix. Nobody can mark or change that."

His stomach does a strange flip flop as they lean in to kiss again. They draw it out, simply enjoying the feeling, his rough chapped lips pressed against Felix's softer ones.

It's warm.

Felix knew now, having seen how quickly Jisung and Jeongin fell, that their chances of survival were minimal. Changbin's fingers slip to his shoulders, running circles over the upper arms.

His thoughts drew downwards, to the tracker in his arm.

Maybe he wouldn't survive, but he couldn't let Changbin die.

Changbin needed to survive.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the shortish chapter but oh boy I hope we are all excited for the next 👀


	15. Chapter 15

Felix wakes up to rain dripping onto his nose.

He blinks, startled by the coldness, but relaxes when he remembers where they are. A layer of fog had fallen over the arena, cloaking the two in their hiding place. They were safe.

For now.

Felix groans, pressing his face into Changbin's bronzed neck and inhaling in his warm scent. In the short time they had been together, he found this was his favorite position, tucked into the elder's side.

It had been a cold night. Changbin had the bright idea of removing the reflective panels on their jackets, so the two had spent a few hours breaking the thread that bound them using sharp rocks and sticks. With the leftover raincoats made into a makeshift shelter, it at least protected them from the weather.

The forest remained quiet, broken only by the chirping of birds and rustle of trees. Felix relaxes again, only to flinch as another drip of water fall onto his injured cheek.

He huffs, scrunching up his face, and Changbin roughly chuckles. The elder turns, pressing his lips to Felix's forehead. The shelter could only protect them so much from the periodic raindrops that fell.

Felix sighs, content. Nuzzling up to kiss Changbin, the blonde wished this moment would last forever, but knew that in this situation he needed to cherish it instead.

His first and maybe last love was here in the Hunger Games arena. Should he tell him? Feeling fear in his chest, Felix returned to his position against Changbin's broad chest, thinking about the games.

How many days had been spent here? How many tributes had been lost? Felix could hardly remember at this point, having lost track. Countless faces of the dead pass through his mind, making him feel numb. Jeongin and Jisung's faces were pushed to the back of his mind, always lurking but Felix didn't dare let it surface.

As an added bonus to their stress levels, Soohyun was still out there. Any moment spend resting like this made them an easier target. They needed to keep moving

They remain cuddling like that for a moment before getting to business. Changbin stretches, wincing as the red burns and marks move against his skin, before standing and folding up their makeshift tent.

They had no weapons, no supplies, and no food. Survival looked bleak, but they needed to keep moving. Felix crinkles a smile at Changbin as he watches him work, wincing in pain as the scabs on his cheek crack.

Changbin had grown a lot thinner since they had first entered the games. His muscles and build, once slightly stockier, were now skinny from malnutrition. His lips were chapped and red, and dark circles dusted his eyelids. Burns laced the elder's arms, red and painful. How on earth had he carried him for so long yesterday?

Felix didn't want to imagine what he looked like to Changbin, lightly touching his cheek. Embarrassment flushed through his system. His nails had been bitten down into brittle stumps, and his skin and hands were dirty. A knot had formed in his blonde hair, caked from sweat from when he was sick.

Having full mobility again felt good.

"Let's go," Changbin says, tying the plastic into a makeshift bag over his shoulder. He holds a hand out for Felix to take, expectant. The blonde's heart flutters, and he reaches out to grip it.

The two walk hand in hand through the forest, in no particular direction. Their main focus was to find food and water.

Felix frowns, periodically checking bushes for berries. Changbin, holding a couple stones, scanned the sky for birds. However, they probably wouldn't even be able to start a fire to cook any meat.

The hours passed. The sun rose high into the sky, melting away the fog below. Felix felt warm at first from it's rays, but now it had grown so hot that he felt uncomfortable. Sweat rolled down the back of his neck, adding to his dehydration and fatigue.

"We must be walking in circles," Felix mumbles, frowning as he squints at a very familiar tree. Changbin shakes his head, squeezing his clammy hand.

"It's an arena trick. Everything looks the same after a while."

"I'm so thirsty," Felix whines, running his tongue over his dry lips. Changbin simply hums in response.

They continue to trek through the forest, and Felix frowns. His voice is croaky, the harsh sun making him even thirstier. "Surely we should have found water by now."

"You'd think so," Changbin growls, frowning. He drops Felix's hand to crouch, gently touching the earth. "The ground is all dried up already. I haven't heard the river yet..."

He stands again, and after linking his hand with Felix's again they continue to walk. There's a slight dip in the ground after some time, and Felix nearly stumbles over the stones in it.

"Wait a second."

The blonde blinks, confused as Changbin crouches down again. He picks up a stone, tapping it against the back of his hand as he thinks. Suddenly, he stands up straight.

"Remember that river we followed to the waterfall?"

Oh.

Felix blinks, and puts two and two together. "Did the sun dry the water up?"

Changbin looks beyond annoyed, glaring at the sky with his hands on his hips. "No, I don't think it was the sun. I don't think we're going to find water for a while, though."

"Great," Felix jokes, feeling hollow. He slips his hand back into Changbin's, his stomach rumbling. "What should we do, then?"

"Keep walking."

The two end up following the snaking dried riverbed, disappointment growing the wider it gets. No water ran through now: the only evidence of what was once there were wrinkled indents on the ground.

They both startle at the sound of two cannon shots, looking worriedly between each other before continuing on.

Arriving at the lake they once called home, Felix feels his heart drop. The waterfall had completely dried out, as if it hadn't been raining this morning or the night before.

Changbin frowns, crouching as he touches the dried dirt of the lake. They're towards the edge of the forest, ready to run if need be, but the forest is silent.

"Fucking damn it," The elder growls the words, glaring at the sky. His eyes narrow. "The game makers must have done this. How many tributes are left?"

"I don't remember," Felix mumbles, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the blazing sun. Changbin rises again as he counts it off on his fingers, but is unable to remember.

A few small fish lay dead in it's empty bowl, and Changbin sighs before collecting them. They head over to the cave, checking behind rocks as they go, but are unable to find any hidden treasures or supplies left behind.

Changbin is squatting down, using his hands to search the floor of the dark cave. Felix, who was supposed to keep watch of outside at the entrance, glances at the black-haired boy. His cheeks redden at the shadowed shape of his toned body through his clothes. He turns, and catches Felix's gaze. They stare at each other for a few seconds before the elder blushes and looks away.

"What?"

"Nothing," the blonde says quickly, flustered. His eyes return to looking outside, but eventually slide back towarde the cave.

Only a few days ago, their first kiss had been shared a few metres away from where they were standing. Felix gently presses his fingers to his lips, remembering the feeling fondly. Changbin finally rises, running a hand through his long fringe to push it back.

"There's nothing here."

The fish the elder had collected had baked for a while in the sun, enough to be edible. Despite making Felix feel nauseous, he and Changbin choke them down while walking again through the forest. The sun continued to beat down, filtering through the tree branches above. It was as hot as a District 14 summer, and made Felix pant. He felt delirious with thirst.

"I... need... water..." The elder had led them back towards where they came from, following the snaking river. Knowing that Changbin had explored more of the arena than himself, Felix trusted the elder to lead them somewhere safe. A tree root catches on his boot and Felix feels the dusty ground slip under him. He squeaks, falling, knowing full well his dark pants were now a dusty brown from the dirt clinging to them.  Changbin stops and grips his shoulders, helping him back up off the dried earth.

"Felix, we need to keep moving." Changbin's squints as he stares upwards. The sun was still high, despite what felt like hours having passed.

Finally, they reach a patch of trees with one particularly large one in the centre. Leaving Felix to pant in the shade of a tree, Changbin clambers up a tree to have a better look at their surroundings and find a water supply.

From the lower branches, the elder removes a hand to point first at his eyes, then at Felix, then at the ground.

"Stay. I don't need you falling out of this tree."

Catching his breath, Felix breathlessly chuckles in response as Changbin climbs higher. His arm muscles flexed as he grasps the branches, pulling himself up before disappearing from sight within the branches.

Felix crouches down, his body relaxing and cooling down in the shade. The blonde's throat felt cracked and dry, parched, but the momentary break felt good.

Looking up to the sky, he frowns at the sun. It had been their main teller of time, but didn't seem to have moved since this morning. It still hung high, at what Chan had taught him was noon.

Felix swallows, grimacing at how dry it felt, and sits watch while he waits for Changbin to climb back down.

The blonde perks up at the sight of the elder climbing down, and stands. Changbin smiles softly, waving at the blonde. Felix's heart does a little flip, seeing the way his laugh lines crease. The elder is carefully gripping each branch, testing them with his foot before stepping down, and turns away from him.

Slowly, slowly. Felix watches him, afraid to say anything in case it startles him.

Suddenly, there's a crack. Changbin's eyes widen as he steps down, the branch under him unable to take the weight.

And then, it gives way.

"Changbin--!" Felix suddenly kicks into gear, but too late. The elder falls to the ground with a thump onto his side. He cries out in pain, clutching his left wrist and rolling onto his back. The wind was knocked out of him, making Changbin gasp.

Falling to his knees next to the elder, Felix sees him hiss in pain, tears collecting in the corners of his eyes. He grasps his shoulder, massaging it.

"Changbin! Are you okay?!"

"My wrist--"

He pulls his hand away, and Felix winces at the sight. Underneath his sunkissed skin, the bone was sticking out at a strange angle. It was twisted and distorted, and already swollen. Changbin hisses again, tucking it in between his thighs. Tears dribble down his cheeks, and Felix didn't know what to do in this situation.

Never in his life had he seen someone break a bone, until now.

"Changbinnie--" Felix immediately felt    
worried. A jolt of panic rolled through him as he tried to remember what to do, but nothing came to him. "Changbinnie, we need to move out of the open."

Tucking his hands underneath Changbin's neck and back, he shakily helps him sit up. The elder whimpers in pain, moving to clutch his wrist again. He lets Felix tuck his arm around his waist, helping him stand.

With his arm still snaked around his waist, Felix guides the black-haired boy to the shady spot, helping him lean against the base of the tree.

"I don't know what to do," the blonde confesses, tears collecting in the corners of his eyes at the sight of him in pain. Changbin ducks his head, slipping it again between his thighs.

"It-it's fine. It's okay. Just a bad fall--"

"Changbin, your wrist is broken!"

Sniffling, the elder looks up again. Felix knew he was refusing to look weak, and felt slightly irritated as Changbin shielded his emotions behind a strained mask.

"I tried looking for water. All I could see was trees that went on for miles, and the cornucopia." The black-haired boy breathes in deeply, before shakily letting it out and trying to stand. "Our best plan is to head towards the cornucopia and try to steal from the Career tributes... if they're still there. I can try something similar to my arrow trick again--"

"Changbin!" Felix suddenly snaps the words, gripping his shoulders. "You're staying back here. You're injured."

"No," the black-haired boy growls, using his good hand to push Felix back. He felt a flash of hurt from the action. "No, I need to do this--"

"I can do it, Changbin." He grasps the black-haired boy's hand, holding it tight. "I'll go and find water for us. You need to stay away and stay safe." 

Changbin refuses to meet his gaze, his eyebrows knitted together. After a few seconds, he looks up.

Tears had trickled down his cheeks again, startling the blonde.

"I'm supposed to be the one protecting you," he whispers, his voice hoarse. "Who cares about my wrist?"

"I care," Felix insists, melting at his sudden emotion. He gently pushes him back down to sit, and crouches in front of him. "Tell me where the cornucopia is. I'll go there and be right back."

Changbin shakes his head, his lips pressed into a thin line. Felix sighs, standing up straight.

"Okay, I guess I'm going to go get lost--"

"Felix!" The blonde catches an incredulous look from Changbin, turning on his heel and walking away. A hand catches his wrist, stopping him.

Changbin. After gloating at the blonde for a few seconds, he sighs defeatedly.

"Okay. I'll take you there--" Felix begins to protest, but Changbin shushes him. "I'll take you there, and watch from afar in case you get into trouble. But... you're right. We do need food and water."

Felix hesitates, his gaze lowering. Changbin's wrist was tucked into his side. With his wrist in the shape it was in now, Changbin would be more of a liability than help in stealing from the Careers.

However, Felix could see the steely look in his eyes. Finally, he nods, dryly swallowing again. 

"I can't convince you otherwise, can I?" The blonde shoots him a half hearted smile, before leaning into Changbin's shoulder.

"No, you can't."

\----------

The cornucopia was about a ten minute walk away, towards the north. Changbin, with his wrist wrapped tightly in the plastic of their coats, walked in step with Felix as he steeled themselves for their mission.

With the sudden temperature rise, if they couldn't find water soon they could very easily die before the day ended.

Felix felt annoyed with Changbin for wanting to come along, so he didn't want to hold his hand again. However, it didn't stop him from caring. Side eyeing his wrapped wrist, the blonde frowns and knocks shoulders with the black-haired boy.

"Hey. How's your wrist?"

"...Sore." Changbin catches his dark eyes, his own flashing with hidden emotion.

"I'm surprised we haven't seen anyone yet," Felix whispers, glancing to his right. The sun was finally setting, casting an orange glow across them, but the heat remained. His stomach grumbled with hunger, and a feeling of nausea chewed away at him.

"Don't jinx it."

A silence falls. Felix looks at Changbin again through his eyelashes, before looking away again.

He was afraid of what was to come, but couldn't let the elder see that.

Finally, they reach the cliff that ringed around the cornucopia. Changbin swallows, turning to the blonde. His panic had risen at this point, scared to approach another tribute.

"You just need to go left. Their camp was at the entrance..."

His words trail off, and he looks at Felix strangely. Suddenly, the elder grips his chin with his good hand and leans in to kiss him.

"...Stay safe."

Taken off guard, Felix dumbly nods before turning and walking away. He doesn't look back, knowing full well he would run back into Changbin's arms if he caught sight of his mournful eyes again.

Dusk was beginning to settle over the arena, and Felix broke into a jog. The cliff to his right was beginning to get lower and lower, but still too high to climb.

The blonde manages to catch himself before running out into a clearing, not realizing the forest had ended.

The expanse of grass stretched far and wide, and nestled at the entrance of a path leading up to the cornucopia sat a makeshift camp.

Two tents stood, one with a large hole burned through the centre. A tall boy was sitting on a crate, spear clutched in his hands. The lingering light reflected off his jacket.

What really caught Felix's attention was the pile of supplies in front of the camp. He frowns, seeing piles of food, water, weapons and medicine. Assuming that was all that was left from the cornucopia, why had they moved it out in the open like that.

A small hummingbird flew in, drawn to the fruit. Ducking behind a bush to watch, he frowns, watching it peck at an apple near the top of the pile.

An arrow suddenly pierces it, and the bird drops to the ground with one last shriek. Felix shudders, no longer sickened by such a sight. His eyes are drawn back towards the camp as he hears a girl's laughter.

He hadn't seen her before, but at the mouth of a tent sat a brown-haired girl with a black crossbow. She was saying something to the tall boy, who meekly nodded in return.

Ah. So the supplies were sat there as a decoy. The grass that covered the field was too short to hide Felix, so any attempt at running out there would probably result in the same fate as that poor bird.

Concealed by the bushes, he edges forwards to the border of the field.

Worry and anticipation fill him as he eyes the water bottles lingering by the base of the pile. He ducks back down, breathing in deep, trying to think.

What would Changbin do in this situation?

Felix racks his mind for an answer, trying to focus on leveling his breathing.

Nothing came to him.

He darts back up again, eyeing the camp. It looked to be only the two of them, but he vaguely remembered how Soohyun had come for them out of revenge for his team mates.

As if on cue, the bulky Soohyun himself emerges from the other tent, stretching.

A spike of anger and fear fill Felix, the sight of him looking so carefree irritating him. He's talking to the girl, but Felix can't hear what they're saying from where he is.

However, his anger towards what Soohyun had done to his friends boiled inside him. The emotions from last night suddenly heated up.

He was ready to run out there. The blonde takes one step into the field when he suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder yanking him back.

Felix startles. The blonde stumbles and falls on his butt, his hands fisted and held up defensively as he turns around.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"Changbin, what the hell!" Felix whisper yells the words, seeing his lover crouch next to him. "You were supposed to stay behind."

"I had this feeling you would do something stupid." Changbin rolls his eyes, his injured wrist still tucked into your side. "Were you seriously about to run out there?"

The blonde stays quiet, and Changbin sighs in response.

"Let's wait it out. Maybe they'll leave."

Crouched next to Changbin, Felix shakes his head before returning to his watch position.

Having to watch the boy who murdered his friend so brutally casually approach the pile to grab an orange upset the blonde further. He huffs, resting his chin on his knees.

They waited, but Changbin gave no signal to move. His face is void of emotion as he watches the Career tributes relax, sitting on crates as makeshift chairs. Jisoo didn't appear to be in the group, or if she was she was still inside a tent. Still, they kept their eyes on the pile, nothing distracting them from it.

"What should we do--"

Felix is interrupted by the sky announcement, and he and Changbin look upwards. Words that he can't understand come up, so Felix looks away. Changbin is frowning as he reads.

He suddenly notes how the career tributes are also distracted, staring at the sky as a picture of a girl comes up. The girl with the crossbow has it lowered, joking about something.

This was it. This was his only chance.

Felix moves before he can truly think about the situation, his eyes on one goal: the water bottles around the base of the pile. His thirst empowered him further, willing him to at least try.

"Felix-- No!" Changbin doesn't react fast enough to grab the blonde this time, his injured wrist the only thing close enough to the blonde. He sprints out onto the field, running faster than he ever had in his entire life.

He hears shouts from the Careers, alerted to his sudden movement. A crossbow bolt flies past him, not even close to hitting, but panic still spikes in him as he reaches the pile.

Grabbing water bottles and stuffing them in his back pockets, he snatches the closest weapon and continues to run. A steel trident was in his hands now, slowing him down. A stitch began to form in his side, but he continued to run.

Another bolt flies at him. Hearing the whizzing sound, Felix ducks. It barely misses his ear, making his blood pump harder in fear.

Suddenly, the wind is knocked out of him, strong arms grappling with him and shoving him to the ground. Hard. There's a rumble from somewhere in the arena.

Felix, gasping for breath, wildly swings the trident. His attacker cries out in pain, suddenly letting go before trying to rip it out of his hands.

"You again!" Soohyun hisses the words, one foot on Felix's hip as he pulls at the weapon. Blood ran from a fresh cut on his cheek. The blonde's grip was sweaty from stress, but he still held on. The rumbling seemed grow louder, Felix unsure of if he was hallucinating it or not.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance," he growls, kicking him harshly in the side. The blonde cries out, unable to hold the weapon any longer, and Soohyun tears it from his grip and points it at him.

The black crossbow is pressed to his forehead, the girl behind it livid. The tall boy, afraid, is watching from afar.

"You made this too easy, faggot."

Felix whimpers, shutting his eyes, when suddenly the cracking of trees being ripped from the ground startles them all.

Raising his head, his eyes widen in horror as the realization of what he heard sinks in.

Only metres away, already having destroyed the careers camp, stood a tidal wall of water torrenting down from the cornucopia.

"What the--" Felix scrambles to his feet as the Career tributes remain confused, knowing immediately what to do but knowing he couldn't outrun it.

This was no ordinary flooding. This was a tsunami wave.

The tall boy screams as the water crashes into him, engulfing him in metre high water. Soohyun and the girl both try to run before getting caught and dragged underwater, smashing the pile of supplies and the crossbow to pieces.

"Felix!"

Changbin is screaming the words, running towards him. It was as if time stood still for a moment. The wall of water was only metres from the two of them, and the black-haired boy reaches out to grasp his hand.

Then, the wave hits them, and everything goes dark.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw theres probably only going to be a few more chapters until the end of this book! thank you everyone with your support for this ❤ its been a wild ride and I'm sad its coming to an end

 

The initial shock of cold water engulfing him knocked the wind out of Felix. His instincts screamed for him to breathe in, but knew better than that. Remembering what he was taught, the blonde instead held his breath tightly.

Tumbling through the dirty water with his eyes shut tight, Felix feels sticks and small rocks tumble past him, scratching his limbs. All was silent, cold and dark as he hung in the water.

Finally, he stopped rolling, and felt himself float towards the surface.

Emerging, the roar of torrenting water around him cuts out all else. Felix gasps in air, treading water and opening his eyes. His hair stuck to his forehead, dripping down into his sight. Trees bowed under the weight of the water, pushing them away from the cornucopia that proudly stood above the tsunami. A scream can be heard from afar.

"Changbin!" He hollers the words. Felix looks left and right, but is unable to see the elder over the white water, trees and mess. A log smashes past him, and he kicks to swim out of the way just in time.

Trees creak and rip out of the ground from the powerful deluge, pushing himself and the other tributes far away from the cornucopia and what looked to be the only high ground available. Within seconds, Felix was already hundreds of meters from where he just was.

Changbin still hadn't surfaced.

Panic fills Felix as he swims towards where Changbin roughly was, but nothing could be seen in the swirling water.

"Changbin!" Felix screams his name now, choking when the filthy water splashes into his mouth from a sudden swell.

Movement catches his eye, and hope rises before crushing disappointment follows. It's the tall boy from before. He's struggling to stay afloat only a few metres away from him, desperately flailing and yelling as he tries to keep his head above water.

Felix vaguely remembers his reaping video, remembering how the quiet boy was crying when he was chosen.

The boy didn't seem to know how to swim.

Felix hesistates, watching him struggle, before diving into the water towards him. How could he leave this kid to die?

Using the freestyle stroke, Felix powerfully kicks through the water. Swimming again like this, if not for the stressful situation, would normally have filled him with a sense of ease. Being in the water was his element, and he had probably spent more time diving than walking.

In District 14, tsunami's were common due to the shifting of some kind of plates or whatever. Chan had tried his best to explain it, but Felix couldn't really grasp the concept of things that happened under the ocean. An alarm would ring across the district as a warning to get to higher ground.

It was never this dangerous, however. Felix knew full well that he could die if he wasn't careful.

Reaching the tall boy, Felix wraps an arm around his waist. The boy is panicking, suddenly turning to Felix and scrambling to pull himself out of the water on top of the blonde's smaller body. Felix's head is pulled underwater momentarily, startling him, but he quickly shifts to be behind the tall boy. A fist enters the water in an attempt to punch him, but Felix is just out of reach of it doing any real damage.

Kicking powerfully, Felix holds his breath as he loops one arm around the boy. He angles the taller boy so that his body is floating above Felix's own, his face out of the water. After a moment of continued struggle, the boy relaxes slightly and goes limp.  Felix, taking this as permission, propels himself towards a bowing tree, grunting in exertion.

The unknown boy grabs for the trunk, holding on for dear life as Felix releases his hold. The tall boy is still panting, unable to speak. From this new position, Felix searches the water again. He can feel the pull of water, and how powerful the swell is. Changbin could be miles away by now. A rock cuts against his thigh, making him wince.

"Y-You saved me?"

Felix turns to him, confused. The boy's brow is furrowed, and he makes no movement to attack.

"I couldn't watch you drown," Felix mumbles, slightly embarrassed. They were in a killing arena. By now, he should be ruthless.

However, Felix couldn't bring himself to kill someone in a position like that. He didn't know how he would live with himself afterwards.

He didn't understand how Changbin could so easily mask the guilt.

"...Thank you," the boy whispers, barely audible over the water. He seemed to be almost in awe of what Felix just did, too stunned to move.

The blonde frowns, looking to the cornucopia. "We need to reach higher ground. Can you swim?"

He shakes his head, and Felix hums as he thinks. Suddenly, a loud alarm rings over the arena, vibrating in the air. Felix slaps a hand over his ear, crying out from how loud it was.

From the cornucopia, the ground seemed to shake. Another huge wave began to form, and Felix gasps.

"Duck under the water. Right now!" The blonde shoves himself underneath as a three metre high wave expels towards them. It first draws him forwards, then suddenly backwards. His arms are ripped away from the tree trunk by the sheer force, leaving him to tumble again in the dark water.

Fabric catches his boot, and he feels towards it. A backpack was pinned against a rock, which sliced his hand open as he felt for what it was.

He pulls at the backpack, managing to get it free, before swimming back to the surface and emerging once more into the world. When they got to higher ground, hopefully it would have supplies in it.

Shaking the water from his vision, he startles as two cannon shots ring over the arena. A hovercraft appears, its metal claws descending and grasping a body before pulling it away. It flew across, searching for the second body. Another fallen team. He tries to find the tall boy, but he was alone again.

"Felix!" He whips his head towards the sound, relief washing over him.

"Changbin?!" Felix shouts his lover's name back, unable to see him through the water. It's coming from his left.

"'Lix!" Changbin's voice is loud and clear now, and Felix hurriedly swims towards the sound. He continues to call out to him, and Felix can see him now.

He's pinned against a shallow part of the water, a submerged tree trunk holding his leg in place. He's grasping it for dear life with his good hand, trying not to let go. If Changbin did, his upperbody would be swept underwater, leaving him to drown.

The blonde quickens his pace, splashing water all around to fight the current. "Changbin!" His voice is filled with relief. The black-haired boy has a cut on his forehead, which is dripping blood into the water.

"Help me," he cries out, wincing as he tries to move. Felix grasps one side, trying to push it away, but isn't strong enough. The currents held the log in place against a tall rock cave, almost like glue.

Felix frowns, before looping the backpack around his shoulder so he could use both arms. "It-- It won't move, Changbin!"

The elder swears loudly, and the alarm rings over the arena again. Felix felt icy fear hit his heart. Another wave was forming. Using the log to propel himself, he grasps the sharp rocks and Changbin's calf, pulling it upwards. He uses his legs to push the log downwards off of Changbin and into deeper water. It begins to budge.

The wave is coming towards them now. The swell pulls them forwards first, freeing Changbin's leg with the help of Felix's shoving, before blasting them backwards.

The blonde chokes on water as he and Changbin are pushed metres backwards, gripping his leg still. The backpack rips off his shoulder, disappearing into the flooded arena. They tumble through, and his lungs scream out in protest from suddenly being filled with water.

They emerge to the surface, Felix spluttering and coughing up dark brown water. Changbin seems to be struggling to stay afloat. He's dog paddling, with nothing to grab as a flotation device. Felix wraps an arm around his waist, treading water and helping him up.

"My leg hurts," Changbin moans, gripping Felix's shoulder tightly.

"Can you swim?"

"Not well."

Getting Changbin out of the deep water was his first priority, then. Felix glances around, again propelling his body around like he had with the tall boy. A shrub floats past them, tangling in his leg, and Felix kicks it off.

Then, he spots a tree trunk, barely above the water level. He kicks towards it, dragging an exhausted Changbin with him. They grasp the tree trunk as they float past. Changbin holds onto a branch with his good hand, his limbs shaking.

"We need to get to the cornucopia," Felix says, his voice low and ragged. "It looks like it's the only high ground."

"The currents keep pushing us back," Changbin says pointedly. He's  exhausted from having held onto the log pinning him into place for so long. His face looked pale, and he's shivering. Felix frowns, drawing him closer, his arm snaked around his waist protectively. Another alarm rings out, making the two jolt.

"Duck!" They both hold their breath, gripping eachother tightly before ducking underneath the water. The wave blasts them, nearly knocking Changbin out of Felix's strong grip, but he was ready for it this time.

The black-haired boy is gasping when they emerge, but Felix feels fine. A sound alerts him: it's the girl with the crossbow. Her dark hair is wet and tangled, and she seems to have been blasted near them. She's holding a tree, whimpering and crying, with a tree branch impaling her through her middle.

Felix gasps at the sight, feeling suddenly dizzy as he watches the life drain out of her. Two cannon shots ring out, and she slips out of her strong hold, the water running red with blood until a hovercraft picks her up.

Then, all was still.

The water's pull, which made him drift towards the arena's outer edges, was now at a standstill. The waves went from choppy to gentle, serene, as if the reason for this flooding hadn't been so gruesome.

Both Felix and Changbin are on edge, clutching the tree for dear life, until a few still moments pass.

Then, the blonde feels a pull towards the cornucopia like a magnet. It's soft at first, but increasingly intensifies, the water seeming to reverse its currents.

"We're being pulled back in." Changbin mutters, suspicious.

"Let's follow it." Felix tries to count off the number of tributes who fell during the flash flooding, but fear prevents him from doing it properly. They let go of the tree, letting the currents pull them towards the shore. Felix still has his arm around Changbin's thin waist, helping him stay afloat.

The golden cornucopia stood untouched, the grass around it still just as long as it had been when they first entered the arena. Felix, suddenly exhausted, flops down onto the muddy ground to catch his breath.

Changbin limps past him, warily looking around. "I don't like this, Felix."

He looks up at the elder, frowning at the sight of his body. His pants were torn, with indents from the rocks in the back of his calves. His broken wrist sat at a strange angle, and looked painful.

"What's up?"

"Something just feels... wrong."

Felix sits up, tucking his legs under him, before suddenly understanding why.

They definitely weren't alone on this island.

He could feel eyes on him: every eye of the population of what used to be South Korea. It was as if a spotlight had suddenly been thrown on then. This was it, the heated finale.

The finale. The end of the games. It had to be the finale at this point. The words kept ringing in Felix's head, screaming at him to run and hide.

During the end, the game makers loved a big, bloody battle.

Felix shivers, getting to his feet. They were weaponless, and completely exposed. Everybody would be watching the games right now for this moment, whether they were a fan or not. The golden cornucopia stood empty, when suddenly a panel opens up at it's mouth.

A table arises, slowly, with three weapons: a bow and arrows set, an axe and a sword.

Silence follows, making the hair on the back of Felix's neck stand up.

It only takes them a second to hesitate before making a decision. They both break into a run, beelining for the cornucopia.

Blood pounded in Felix's ears. It felt like they were back where they first started, when the blonde had first entered the arena. The mad scramble during the bloodbath, for weapons, food and supplies. The same adrenaline ran through him now, but this time it was different: more experienced, and with more drive. Being more mobile than Changbin, Felix lunged into the tall grass straight for the bow.

A strong set of arms emerge on the other side, followed by jet black hair and angry eyes: Soohyun. Jisoo, her hair drenched and with a cut on her cheek, sprints for the sword, but she's the least of the blonde's worries at the sight of Soohyun's disgusted gaze and axe raised high.

Felix grabs the bow and arrows, and dives out of the way as Soohyun swings the axe towards his head. His breathing came out rapid as he disappeared again into the grass, running for his life.

"Changbin, run!" He screams the words, hoping the black-haired boy would hide instead of follow him in. Soohyun, murderous, follows close behind.

The boy from District 2, while a lot bigger, was nowhere near as nimble as Felix. He darts left and right through the grass, throwing Soohyun off his path.

"Come out, you little bitch!" Soohyun spits the words. "I'm winning this game."

Felix, catching his breath, ducks in the grass to hide. He was at the advantage, hidden away like this. His fingers shakily notch an arrow, aimed towards where Soohyun's voice came from, before letting fly.

He hears Soohyun yell, hacking at the grass nearby. Scared, he notches a second arrow, backing away and trying to get a clear shot.

Felix can't stop shaking from the idea of killing someone.

Suddenly, the green grass surrounding him disappears.

Felix blinks, looking around at an equally startled Soohyun, Jisoo and Changbin. The grass had literally retracted itself back into the ground, exposing them all to each other.

The game makers wanted an equal playing ground, it seems.

Changbin, still limping, had stayed far away from the cornucopia. However, at the sight of Felix on the ground he breaks into a heavy run.

Jisoo catches this liability, and runs with the sword poised towards him. Soohyun beelines for him too, laughing erratically.

Felix bursts off the ground, letting the arrow fly: he had last minute aimed it for Jisoo's legs in a hope of knocking her over, but instead it buried in her soft midsection. She cries out, falling to the ground. The sword slides a few metres away, across the muddy ground. Changbin sees this, suddenly changing course to run towards the glinting weapon.

Soohyun is still running towards Changbin, not a care in the world for his fallen teammate. Felix hurriedly notches another arrow, shakily dropping it due to his panic. Changbin dodges Soohyun's initial swing, panicked eyes on Felix, but the second one sinks into his left shoulder. Deep.

Changbin screams in a way Felix had never heard a human make before as Soohyun hacks into his shoulder, falling to the ground. He holds his mangled shoulder, his features turning ghostly pale in shock. He was only inches from the sword, which remains untouched.

It seems to break something in him, the sight of the black-haired boy on the ground like that. Every moment and every touch he and Changbin had shared suddenly flooded into Felix's memory.

He was in love with Seo Changbin, and would do anything to protect him.

Even die.

Ditching the bow entirely, Felix lunges for Soohyun's back. He leaps on, grabbing him around the neck and pulling the bigger boy backwards.

Soohyun chokes, trying to shake Felix off, but his rage helps him stay on. He leans forwards, sinking his teeth into his shoulder, hard. Soohyun yells out strangledly, dropping the axe.

The bigger boy suddenly throws himself back onto the ground, knocking the wind out of both of them. Felix feels a molar tooth knock loose as he falls, crushed by Soohyun's weight.

Not given a moment to catch his breath again, Soohyun twists, grabbing Felix by the neck. The bigger tribute repeatedly lifts him up, slamming his back against the muddy ground in an attempt to break his neck.

Felix grits his teeth, feeling his face turn purple. He kicked at every part of Soohyun he could reach, punching his hands, but the blonde could feel his strength slipping.

Then, an arrow glinted in the light, burying itself through Soohyun's neck.

He looks startled for a moment, before suddenly letting go to touch his own throat. The black-haired boy chokes, making raspy sounds as he tries to draw in breath.

Felix, panicking, rolls to sit up. He looks up to his saviour, expecting Changbin, but is shocked to see a crying Jisoo instead.

The bow lay in her hands as she cradled Changbin's broken body, running fingers through his black hair. He seemed to have gone into shock, and is making strange whimpering sounds.

"Changbin... Changbin!"

Felix, his voice raspy, moves to protect him. He's stops as Jisoo rises, an arrow notched on the bowstring and pointed at his heart. Her midsection ran red with blood, dripping down her front.

Tears are streaking down Jisoo's cheeks, and she sobs. "...Do you love him?"

The blonde felt scared from this sudden behavior, too afraid to move or respond. He could hear the rasps from Soohyun as he slowly dies, and the whimpers from Changbin as he bleeds out on the ground.

"Do you promise to protect him? No matter the cost?" Jisoo is hysterical now, screaming the words. The arrow is shaking in her grasp.

He stays silent, but swiftly nods once.

Felix's shocked reply was all she needed, lowering the still-loaded bow.  Tears run down her cheeks, and she looks to the sky.

"I'm going to die here."

Felix swallows, nervously taking a step forwards. "Jisoo--"

"I'm a murderer, kid. I've watched Soohyun kill children. I've killed children. I don't want to be alive anymore. ...I've done the duty that I promised Hyunjin. I'm not needed anymore."

These words strike a chord in Felix, and he remembers their emotional discussion about Changbin's late best friend. What did Jisoo have to do with Hyunjin?

"It's not too late, Jisoo--" Felix is panicking at this point, his heart beating quickly as he steps forwards again. "We can save them both, and save both of us--"

Her eyes are glazed over as she turns to him, the bow notched and level with his chest. "There can only be one winner, Lee Felix of District 14."

And then she lets the arrow fly.

Felix shuts his eyes, every nerve in his body bracing for an impact.

Instead of pain, he hears the sound of Soohyun's choked scream suddenly die out.

The blonde opens his eyes, shocked. Jisoo simply stares in response, before looking to the sky one last time.

What feels like eons pass before two cannon shots ring out, and she collapses to the ground. Her eyes are open, still fresh with tears, and stare into Felix's very soul.

_Do you love him?_

His body moves on it's own accord, tripping and stumbling until he fell besides Changbin. He shakily runs his paling fingers through his hair, and Changbin weakly opens an eye. His whimpers had died down now, into short breaths.

They were the last two living tributes left in this arena.

They had won the Hunger Games.

"Changbin," Felix whispers, leaning in and holding his chin. Tears are dribbling down onto his lover. "Changbinnie, we won."

"Come here," the black-haired boy mumbles, his blood stained hand rising to hold his chin. Felix leans in, pressing a kiss to his lips, tasting the salt that coated them.

But if they had won, then where was the hovercraft?

All remained silent as Felix leaned back, Changbin raspily breathing on the ground. Only a shattered piece of bone and muscle held his left arm on now, which was turning white. His blood pooled on the earth. The sight made Felix want to vomit, but not the boy it was attached to.

There's a crackle of static, and suddenly an announcer's booming voice plays over the arena.

"As a reminder of why the districts were separated in the first place, all prior team pacts are now nullified. After all, there can only ever be one winner.

"May the odds be ever in your favour."

It cuts off, and the words slowly sink into Felix. It felt like ice began to form in his veins, prickly and numbing. A hand slides up onto his cheek again, forcing the blonde to look down.

Changbin is glassily staring at him, smiling softly. "This is it then, I guess."

"Wait--" This couldn't be happening. A sinking feeling entered Felix's stomach. "W-Wait-- No--"

"'Lix," Changbin whispers. He forms the words slowly, running his thumb over the blonde's cheek. The soft smile remained. "My precious Felix."

"Why?" The blonde cries the words, his heart breaking as he looked down at Changbin. Tears stream down his cheeks. "W-Why are you smiling?"

"Because I get to see you one last time," the black-haired boy whispers, moving to hold his hand. Felix cries harder, feeling his face turn red. He leans forward, onto Changbin's bloody chest. His voice is muffled.

"I... I don't want to say goodbye."

"You need to, Felix. I'm a goner."

Changbin was right, and Felix hated it. Even if he tried to hurt himself, to die in Changbin's place, every second spent in this arena only did more permanent damage to the elder. He would be crippled for life after damage like that, if he could even be saved.

He was dying, regardless of what happened right now.

Felix cries harder, screaming into his chest. His hands ball up into fists, crushing Changbin's in his own.

"Felix," the black-haired boy rests their linked hand on top of his head. "Look at me. Please."

Full of grief, he looks up at the boy he had fallen in love with. A cut ran across his forehead, hidden by his flop of black hair. Dark eyes were half-lidded and shadowed, and his lips were a dark red. Ears that normally were tinted with a blush were pale, along with the rest of him.

"I love you, Felix."

Those words break the blonde more, and he sobs pitifully.

"I love you too, Changbin."

He smiles softly, his eyes crinkling around the corners, before closing his eyes. "Stay with me."

Felix complies, gripping one hand tightly and the other holding his cheek. He dots kisses over his cold face, tears staining Changbin's smooth skin.

After a moment, Changbin inhales deeply, breathing in his last breath. His hand went slack.

And then, everything went silent. A cannon blast sounds.

Felix holds Changbin's still warm hand in his hands, running his thumbs over it, before moving them to his face. "Changbin?"

Silence.

"Changbin!" Felix screams his name, sobbing. He shakes his cheeks, willing for his eyes to open, for this to all be some sick joke.

They remained closed, his mouth slightly ajar.

Felix looked up at the sky and screamed. He screamed for the lives of his friends, for Lisa, for Jisung, for Jeongin, for his heartbreak, for this whole fucking messed up situation. He screamed until his voice cracks, suddenly cutting into silence, and he lowers his gaze again. Felix's eyes catch a glint of metal in the light. A fuzzy feeling took over his body as he stared at it.

If the games wanted to take the most important person away from him, then he would do the same to them.

He grasps the sword and stands, staring at the dark sky above. The fake stars shone, and Felix willed for the real ones to come to the front of his memory. Chan's smile flashes in his mind, followed by Changbin's.

_Do you promise to protect him? No matter the cost?_

He brings the sword upwards, positioning it to rest against his chest. A hovercraft appears above him, too late.

"There will be no winner of the 50th Hunger Games."

He slides the sword into his own heart, watching the metal claws of the hovercraft lower and miss catching him as he falls backwards onto the muddy earth one last time.

And then, everything goes dark.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big oof


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: medical situations that may be upsetting

When Felix woke up, he knew he had to be dead.

The soft sound of rain fills his ear drums: the sounds of home. Crashing waves, shrieking seagulls. The gentle maw of wooden boats creaking in the bay. The bustle of life, of children laughing, sailors smoking. The reeling of fishing rods, the static sound of the fence surrounding him.

District 14.

\-- _"His heart isn't taking to the treatment."_ \--

He opened his eyes. Felix's surroundings were bright at first, too bright to see, before they adjust.

Felix was definitely back home. He sat up in the bed he shared with his mother and cousin, gently touching the rough, overused sheets. They seemed brighter than normal, a crispier white colour. Sunlight filtered in from the windows, basking him in warmth, despite the sound of rain falling onto the tin roof.

\-- _"The patient isn't breathing."_ \--

"Mom?" Felix says the words, but can't seem to hear them being spoken aloud. "Chris?"

He climbs out of the bed. The wooden floors melt under his bare feet, soft and squishy. He's dressed in what he wore during the Reaping: a button up shirt and pants. He pads across the room, and tries to open the door, only to find it locked.

He frowns, jiggling with the door knob, before giving up and turning back around. Felix startles as another person comes into view, and it takes him a moment to recognize them.

Lisa.

\-- _"Beginning defibrillation. Step back!"_ \--

She's standing there, dressed in her own Reaping outfit: a periwinkle blue dress and black shoes. A ribbon held her hair back in a high ponytail. Lisa smiles shyly, her hands folded behind her back.

"Felix."

"Lisa!" A mixture of relief, confusion and sadness hits the blonde all at once. He moves to hug her, but she takes a step back. The room begins to fade away around them, into white.

She says something, but her words are drowned out by a loud whirring sound. Felix frowns, cocking his head.

"What?"

\-- _"Give him another shock, but stronger."_ \--

Her eyes seem to suddenly drip like blood from her face, disturbingly realistic. Felix jumps back, afraid. His breathe catches in his throat as she holds her hands out.

Her skin is decaying, blackened and peeling. Lisa's bottom lip wobbles as Felix takes another step backwards, desperately turning and trying to open the door.

It unlocks this time, and he falls through, only to be greeted by more zombies from the arena. Jisoo. Jennie. Jeongin. Their eyes are blank. Felix falls to the ground, cowering away from them as they circle him.

\-- _"Boosting adrenaline now."_ \--

He cries out for Changbin for what feels like hours, his skin itching like crazy. The blonde looks down, only to see insects crawling all over him.

And suddenly, he's falling. Falling through darkness. He tries to scream, but no sound comes out.

"Felix, wake up!"

\----------

Beep. Beep. Beep. A machine's slow periodic sounds fills Felix's mind, rousing him.

The blonde's eyelids felt heavy, and his body fuzzy with pins and needles. Deeply inhaling, he first notes that his throat felt rough. Saliva scratched against it, bringing him pain as he rasped out a groan.

Secondly, something sharp was injected inside his forearm. Felix tightens a fist, recognizing it as a long, thick needle. He moves his arm, slowly, and it pinches him. A drip of some kind?

Thirdly, a warm weight was settled on his upper thigh, using it as a pillow. A familiar salty scent fills his senses.

A scent from home. From District 14.

The blonde's eyelids flutter open after a few moments, exhausted and drugged. Felix's vision struggled to adjust for a moment, due to the fluorescent lights above him, and he winces and squints. When they do adjust, he carefully lifts his head to look down his body.

A mess of blonde, curly hair catches his eye, and Felix feels his heart stop. He doesn't even take in his own appearance nor the beeping that suddenly accelerates as he gasps.

Chan.

The elder had his head resting on top of the blanket, one large hand curled in Felix's smaller one. He was fast asleep.

Chan had lost weight. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, his cheeks gaunt. Despite his haggard appearance, the elder looked peaceful, lips and cheeks puffed out while he slept on.

They're alone in a white hospital room. Save for a door, the walls are bare. The strong scent of antiseptic constantly hits him in waves. A few vases of artificial flowers stood on an end table to his left, as well as balloons and piles of letters. A jug of untouched iced water sat next to them.

It just confuses Felix further, unable to read the words.

Felix shifts, every bone and muscle in his body creaking in protest. The machine quickens, beeping more erratically, as he tries to sit up. A large band held his waist in place. The more he pulled at it, the stronger whatever was seeping into his arm becane. He felt sleepier and weak, falling back into the pillows. The hospital gown he wore fell open, making him stop.

His exposed skin was an icy white, contrasting with a large, lumpy scar running across the right side of his chest. Felix's body was malnourished, and very thin. Bruises that had formed in the arena seemed to have disappeared, save for scarring on his hands and arms. Nails that had before been bitten down were rounded and filed. Dirt had been cleaned from his skin, and his arms and legs were hairless.

Nothing like his body in the arena.

The arena. Changbin. Sorrow, anger and pain fills his chest at the memory. Images of Changbin in the Hunger Games flash through his drugged mind, confusing him.

The machine gives off warning beeps, rousing Chan, and Felix's heart rate quickens. His cousin. His brother. The elder sleepily blinks, blearily frowning at the machine. Chan's dark eyes travel to Felix's face, and startle when he sees his eyes are open.

"Chan," he rasps, before being crushed into a hug from the elder.

"Oh my God. Oh my _God_. Felix." His voice is muffled, his face pressed into his neck. Felix doesn't care that the needle pinches him. Tears prickle his eyes at the feeling of Chan being so close to him again. "What the hell were you thinking?"

The elder runs his fingers through his hair, sniffling. When he pulls away, he's crying, balling Felix's tiny hand into his fist. Tears streak down his cheeks, breaking Felix's heart.

"I've never felt pain that way before, during that moment after you did what you did-- I... I was so scared, 'Lix. I can't believe you... did that." He wipes the back of his hands under his eyes, smearing the salty tears away. "They pulled me onto the train immediately after."

Felix whimpers, his voice coming out in a rasp. "I'm sorry."

Chan sighs, before smiling softly. He looked exhausted. "No, don't apologize. I'm proud of you for standing up in what you believe in."

A silence falls, save for the steady beep of the machine.

"We probably don't have a lot of time alone," he mumbles, glancing towards the shut door. "You've been in a coma for a week, 'Lix. They needed to do open heart surgery on you... twice. It was awful, watching what the doctors did. They injected tracker jacker venom into you to keep your adrenaline up, forcing your body to stay alive."

Felix shivers. Tracker jacker venom. The enhanced wasp-like creatures had lethal stingers. How much had they used? His hand slips out of Chan's grasp, ghosting the scar on his chest. The elder continues to speak, leaning his head on his hand.

"They fitted your heart with a metal device... It scares me, Felix. I think they're mad... What you did in the arena, it started an uprising."

These words startle the younger, and the machine beeps more aggressively. "What?"

"The second they messed you and your team mate over... people began fighting the Peace Keepers." His voice is hushed, trying to not draw attention. He circles his palm over Felix's shoulder, trying to calm him down. "We were all in the square... Some of the older sailors broke into a fight against them, angry with the Capital... So they opened fire. They grabbed me and got me onto the train, but I don't know what happened to everyone else back home."

Felix can see how hard this is for Chan to say. His voice is wobbling, and his eyes dart away. The blonde knew why exactly: he was worried about Woojin.

"Chan..."

"Even the Capital was rioting. Everybody thought you two would win together--"

He suddenly shuts up as the door swings open. A brown-haired doctor Felix vaguely recognizes walks in, wearing a face mask and with a clipboard in hand.

"Lee Felix," he says warmly, but without sincerity. "I'm glad to see you're awake."

The blonde blinks at him, frowning as he places the clipboard on a table at the foot of his bed. He turns to Chan, eyes flashing. "Sir. May I ask you to leave?"

His cousin warily looks at the doctor, before rising. Chan squeezes his shoulder before slipping out of the room. The door clicks behind him.

The doctor sits, removing his mask. Bright white teeth flash, and Felix vaguely recognizes him from the helicopter ride before being inserted into the arena. Panic rises in him, as more memories flood in of him injecting him with the very chip that linked Changbin and himself.

"Hi, Felix. I'm Doctor Kim Seokjin. How are you feeling?"

The blonde stays quiet, his heart fluttering in fear. He felt on edge around the man. Slowly, Felix speaks. "...Tired."

Seokjin laughs, almost forcefully. He clasps his hands, leaning forwards.

"I don't want to startle you, but the damage you did to yourself was near reversible. We needed to replace sections of your heart with machinery. You're very lucky to be here."

"I didn't want to be here."

Doctor Seokjin ignores that comment, pulling the monitor towards himself. He types a password into it, never breaking his smile.

"You've gathered quite a few fans, Lee Felix. I have a few visitors waiting to see you, but I want to make sure you're doing well before letting them in."

The blonde stays silent, wincing as the drip suddenly feeds him something colder. The heart monitor machine slowly settles as nausea grows in his stomach. He blinks, feeling sleepy, sinking deeper into the cushions.

"That's better." Seokjin shifts his position, pushing the monitor away from him. Mirror images of him appear in Felix's vision, flickering in and out of focus. "Now, tell me, Felix. Why did you rebel?"

"...Huh?"

He smiles wider. "I must know, on behalf of our president. You won. There was no need to do such damage. Why did you rebel?"

"I didn't," he whispers, visibly confused. Seokjin leans forwards, lowering his voice.

"Then tell me why you tried to kill yourself, knowing full well it would result in no winner." The warmth had dropped from his voice, icy cold injecting the words instead. "You said it yourself: that there would be no winner of these games. Was it pre meditated?"

A flash of JYP's smiling expression flickers across Seokjin's face, whether out of hallucination or not. Felix's heart beats faster, remembering Chan's words. "They injected tracker jacker venom into you." Could this be what was running through his veins right now?

"I don't want to live in a world without Changbin," Felix mumbles, his voice slurring. Numbing pain spreads through his body at the memories of the elder, and he blinks. "I didn't... decide this before the games."

Seokjin reads his face for a moment before leaning back, nodding affirmatively. "I see. I'll let you rest."

"W-Wait--" Felix swallows, his mouth drying. This question had been on his mind ever since he woke up.

"...Is Changbin really gone?"

Seokjin simply smiles, not responding for a moment. It makes Felix feel sick, the fact that he knew but refused to tell him.

"He probably wishes he were at this point."

The haunting words sink in. All rational though suddenly leaves him as he lunges towards Seokjin.

If not for the belt to restrain him, Felix would have thrown himself from the bed. The machine linked to him aggressively beeps. He flails, reaching for the drip in an attempt to rip it out, screaming incoherently at the doctor. What did he mean he wished?! He tried to say the words, but found they couldn't form.

Felix's words slur from his mouth, his eyelids growing heavier as the machine blasts him with some sort of sedative. Seokjin rises.

"Sleep well, Lee Felix. And, do remember: we hear and know everything."

And then, everything goes dark.

\----------

Felix drifted in and out of consciousness over the next few days. Vivid dreams and nightmares followed him, memories from the arena mixing with horrors he could only imagine. His skin felt itchy, like ants were running across it.

The only thing that kept him sane was Chan's comforting presence.

The elder rarely left his side, not even to eat or sleep. When Felix would wake up, he was always there: either passed out at his side, or drawing, or idly watching the television in the corner. A smile would break out across his face, beaming, everytime Felix's eyelids fluttered open.

The blonde had been sick a few times since waking up the first time, emptying his stomach of bile that burned his already injured throat. He hadn't eaten anything, despite nurses trying to get him to when he was awake, and would simply go back to sleep instead.

He was worried about Changbin.

Felix had tried to ask Chan about Changbin, multiple times. The elder could only give him a pained smile and a glance towards the camera in the corner of the room. It's infrared light blinked ominously, which Felix idly watched between sleep.

_"We hear and know everything."_

However, Chan would always give his hand a tight, comforting squeeze: he knew it was his cousin's way of saying everything would be okay.

One of the times Felix woke up, Chan had pressed a kiss to his forehead, whispering a special song to him.

His birthday song.

Felix was now seventeen, but didn't feel excited or different like he normally did. He'd lost so much time in the arena and here in the hospital, so much so that he didn't know if Chan was telling the truth or not.

He also knew that Chan had lost time by being here. His cousin was trying not to show it, but he knew he was scared. Felix often woke up to the news being on, and at any mention of the districts Chan's eyes would fflicker to the screen.

Felix wanted him to go home, but Chan insisted on staying.

On the third day(?) of this process, Felix woke up alone for the first time.

The drip that had been in his arm had been removed. A bruise was evident around it, hidden by a small bandaid in the crook of his elbow.

The band around his waist had disappeared, too. Since trying to attack Seokjin, Felix hadn't bothered trying to get up. If he tried to, the machine would inject him with some kind of sedative that immediately put him to sleep again.

Felix sits up slowly, his brain surprisingly unfoggy for the first time since he left the arena. Swinging his bare legs from the bed, he tries to stand, startled that he has the strength to.

At the foot of his bed was a pile of clothes. Shuffling towards it, he freezes as he touches the material.

The outfit is the same that he wore in the arena.

Memories fade in and out as he touches the material, shivering. The outfit was clean and fresh, pristine like it had been at the beginning of the games. Why did he need to wear this? He racks his brain, before remembering what would happen after every game: the victor of the games would need to greet their team again as if they had just returned from them.

Slipping into the long sleeved shirt and pants, it felt rough on his scrubbed skin. The lumpy scar across his chest felt oddly sensitive against the woolen material.

After putting on the socks and boots, Felix slowly reaches up to touch his own face. The scar left by Soohyun remained raised on his cheek. Chan had told him that the doctors had given him a choice about the scarring, and wanted to know if Felix wanted to keep it as a 'token of battle'.

Felix didn't feel ashamed of it anymore, and told them to leave it.

A small mirror sat next to the clothes, face down. Hesitation stops him from picking it up immediately. He hadn't seen his reflection since entering the arena, save for whatever he saw in still waters.

Steeling himself, Felix picks up the smooth ivory hand mirror, turning it to face him.

What he saw in the reflection frightened him.

Gently touching his own face, Felix knew he looked different. Cheeks that used to be rounded were thin and hollowed out. His skin was pasty, contrasting with his freckles. Blonde hair, clean and detangled, had grown longer. It was long enough to fall in front of his eyes now, and needed to be pushed back.

The scar on his cheek had mostly faded, save for two lumpy lines on his cheek bone. His eyes bore no emotions, and were dark.

Lowering the mirror, Felix shakily breathes in as tears threaten to spill over. He didn't want to leave this room, despite how unsafe it felt. What had changed in the outside world? Chan told him that people were rebelling because of him. Were other people on the other end of that spectrum, sickened by his actions instead?

Rising again, Felix shakily opens the door. It seems to melt under his touch, sliding open.

The hall outside is just as white as his room, with blank, locked doors matching his own. To his left it was darker, the end of the hall, but to his right the hallway extended.

All Felix can hear are his footsteps as he creeps down the hall. His guard was up, his body poised and ready to attack if a threat showed itself to him. Hushed voices came from the end of the hall, growing in volume as he grew closer. The light grew brighter, opening into a larger room.

Felix squints at the sudden change, before realizing who's there in the room. Camera's are set up in the corner, broadcasting this reunion moment to the whole nation.

Jaebum. Chan. V. Hyunah. Sunmi. Their heads turn to look at him, and silence falls.

His cousin is the first to rise, and Felix melts into his arms, sobbing, despite having seen him so many times already. It felt different this time. More real. He didn't care about the cameras as he presses his face into Chan's shoulder.

Maybe it was because Felix had grown, too. He was the same height as his older cousin now, nearly taller. He'd changed so much in such a short amount of time, both emotionally and physically.

Chris had gotten changed into a nice shirt and pants, but being next to the rich still made him stick out like a sore thumb. Felix releases him after some time, before moving onto V.

The blue-haired man is smiling, gently massaging Felix's back as he cries into his shoulder. Their hug is short, but sweet. "Congratulations, Lee Felix."

Jaebum is stoic and silent as per usual, but the hug he gives Felix is warm and strong. It conveys more than words ever could. Sunmi simply smiles, her expression pained. "Well done, Felix."

Hyunah is last, her bubbly smile bright. She keeps telling Felix how good he looked on camera, how proud she is to be a part of such a strong team, but Felix can hardly pay attention as he looks around the room.

It's only those five, and two peacekeepers situated by the door.

"Where's Kookie, G and Yoongi?" He frowns, knowing full well that they should have all been here despite mentoring and styling for other tributes. Hope fluttered in his chest, but Jaebum's sad smiles answers him.

"Kookie is waiting to dress you for the ceremony tonight," V explains, speaking slowly. "Alongside me."

But that doesn't explain Yoongi and G Dragon's absenses.

"Why is nobody telling me anything?" Felix's voice is irritable, but he catches the glance Jaebum casts to the cameras. It just makes his anger grow.

"What happened to Changbin?!"

They all remain silent. Chan looks guilty, looking to his feet.

Jaebum breathes in deeply, holding his hands up calmly. "This may come as a shock, Felix--"

"Tell me!" Felix's frustration comes out, and he folds his arms. Angry tears gather in his eyes. "I... I know he's alive! Seokjin told me..."

Sunmi has her eyes closed, looking pained, as Jaebum speaks.

"He's alive, Felix."

The blonde falls to the floor, a sob escaping him. Finally, an answer. The answer he needed. Relief washes over him, sheer relief and confusion and hope all at once.

Jaebum hadn't finished speaking, though. He crouches down next to Felix, holding his shoulder.

"He's... not all there, Felix." The words come out delicately, but don't stop his artificial heart from hammering in his chest. Ice enters his veins.

"What do you mean?" He's whispering the words, scared.

Jaebum wets his mouth, looking away. "He lost a lot of oxygen to his brain... because he was clinically dead due to his blood loss. The damage was quite severe--"

"I want to see him."

Silence falls.

Jaebum sighs, before getting to his feet. "Okay, Felix."

A shaky sigh escapes Chan as Felix rises, seeing the determined look on his face. He grasps his hand, and the group walk back towards the hospital rooms.

Felix's heart thunders in his chest as they approach one room in particular. The door slides open, revealing a darkened hospital room. Only he and Jaebum enter.

Monitors illuminate the space. Yoongi is curled up in a chair in the corner of the room, but is roused as Felix cries out Changbin's name, skating past the others.

He's alive.

Changbin is sitting up in the bed, a drip attached to his arm. His hair has been shaved on one side. Metal stickers are stuck to his exposed chest and forehead, feeding information into one of the machines. The other arm is tucked away under the blanket. A bandage bound his left shoulder, and his left arm remain hidden under the blanket.

Felix moves to throw himself at the elder, but stops.

His eyes are blank, not looking at anything. Tremors shiver through his thin body, muscles twitching under the skin.

"Changbinnie?" Felix whispers the words, slowly approaching. He sits on the chair next to his bed. Silence falls. Yoongi looks at him sadly as he takes Changbin's cold hand in his own warm one, but the elder doesn't respond.

Jaebum rests a hand on Felix's shoulder.

"He has a hypoxic brain injury, Felix." The blonde has no idea what Jaebum means by that. His body is fast forwarding through emotions right now, barely registering what he's saying. "The Capital insisted they try to save him, but... We don't know if he can get better. Ever since he woke up, he's been like this."

Felix feels a hollow sob break through his chest, as Jaebum carefully tries to pull him away. The blonde fights back, shaking his hand off and grasping Changbin tighter.

"N-No-- Changbinnie's gonna get better--"

His mentor looks pained, gently trying to untangle him. "Felix, you're needed at the ceremony."

"I don't care!" Felix screams the words, panic entering his system. "Fuck the games!"

The doors slide open, and a peacekeeper enters, holding an electrified tazer. It zaps warningly. "Felix," Jaebum presses, "we need to go. Now."

Felix shakes his head, refusing to let go of the boy he loved. He suddenly screams as he's tazed, becoming limp enough to be ripped from Changbin's hand.

He kicks as he's lifted up and out of the chair, screaming. Jaebum and Yoongi both watch, unable to do anything, as the peacekeeper tazes him again.

Felix sobs, his body writhing in pain, as he's dragged from the room. His vision darkens, going foggy.

Over the pain and sobs, he barely hears a voice as it travels across the room.

Changbin's voice. It's barely a whisper.

"Felix?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent a really long time researching these medical conditions to make sure it was correct, but I'm sorry if this upsets anyone. I was thinking of writing a version of this story but from changbins point of view? when its finished
> 
> let me know what you think!


	18. Chapter 18

 

Everybody froze in place at the sound of Changbin's rough voice, even the peacekeeper holding Felix. The machine linked to him begins to beep rapidly, warningly, just like how Felix's had before.

Changbin lurched forwards over the band that bound his waist, his eyes closed. His mouth hung ajar, and the blanket that before covered him tightened in his grasp. His body is trembling. The black-haired boy's skin was just as pale and malnourished as his own, but it wasn't what caught Felix's eye and struck horror in him.

His left arm, which had been covered by the carefully tucked blanket before, lay at a strange angle and lifelessly still. It was a greyish-white, contrasting with the bandages and the little colour left in Changbin's normally tawny skin.

Yoongi, who had shot to his feet at the sight of the tazer, is the first to break the stupor. Sharing a look with Jaebum, they hurry to Changbin's side, grasping the boy's shoulders in an attempt to lay him back down. The boy begins to shake and let out a low groan. The muscles running under his skin twitch and clench, creating strange shapes under his thin skin. It looked like something was crawling, clawing and trying to break the surface.

"What's happening to him?" Felix cries out the words as two nurses rush in, suddenly flailing against the peacekeeper again. The electricity from the tazer still ran through his system, so he isn't strong enough to fight back as he's dragged out of the room.

"Fe...Lix..." Changbin slurs the words as a nurse takes over from Yoongi, his blank dark eyes searching for something. Jaebum turns away, a look of pain evident on his face. One of the nurses, her large hoop earrings dangling, is frantically typing into the monitor, calming the machine as something else begins to inject into Changbin through his drip.

The last thing Felix sees before he's taken out is the mournful sadness that flashes across Changbin's eyes.

Some kind of recognition. Emotions filter into his dark eyes, flashing like how they used to.

The peacekeeper unkindly dumped a crying Felix on the other side of the door before stepping away. It slides shut behind them, locked. Chan glares at the white dressed officer, reaching down to massage the blonde's shoulders comfortingly. Sunmi and V watch on, not saying a word, and Hyunah is in tears.

"'Lix, I'm so sorry--" His older cousin's voice is cut off as screaming can be heard on the other side. Ice cold panic fills Felix, dragging his memories right back to the arena, putting him instantly on edge. He needed to protect Changbin. They were hurting him! Yanking himself out of Chan's grasp, he bangs on the door, yelling to be let back in. The blonde doesn't even care as he feels his fists cut and bruise under the force of hitting the door. He can feel Chan grasping his shoulders, trying to pull him back. The older blonde is saying something, panicked, but Felix isn't listening. The frosted glass of the door begins to shatter, when there's a sudden prick of pain in his neck. Changbin's screams of pain worsen, before growing quieter as the world drowned out around Felix. He fell forwards into the breaking glass.

Everything goes dark.

\----------

When Felix slowly awoke, he had been moved.

He vaguely recognized the room as it slowly came into focus: V's dressing room. The last time he was in here had been during the opening ceremony. Memories of the sparkly suit he wore fluttered in and out of his mind, remembering how confident he had felt in such an amazing outfit.

Felix is laid on a black leather couch, with a soft, velvety pillow behind his head. A low voice filters in, followed by a flutier one. Kookie.

Felix's head hurt. His mouth felt dry, and numb. His fingers and toes slowly aquired feeling again, and he flexes the digits, holding his pale hands above his face.

Whatever he had been injected with, it messed him up. His small hands spun in and out of focus, making him feel nauseous as they flop back down.

Memories of Changbin's screams and the white hospital rooms suddenly pierce his mind, and Felix sits up. A flash of blue and red catches his eye, and V's worried face comes into focus.

"Felix! You're awake--"

"I need to go to Changbin--"

Felix ignores the lightheadedness that follows as he tries to stand, but V's large hands hold him down. A worried Kookie's face catches Felix's eye, and he hesitates before relaxing back into the couch.

Chan wasn't here. Where was he?

"You can't see him again, Felix."

"Why not?!" Irritation rises in his voice. Felix knew he sounded childish, but the whirlwind of emotions he felt grew inside of him. Changbin was dead. Changbin wasn't dead. Changbin had recognized him.

It was all too much.

V sinks down besides him, sighing and playing with the cufflink of his blue velvet suit. He and Kookie share a look. They seem to be having a silent conversation, and the red haired man quietly turns to leave.

"Would you like some tea, Felix?" V pushes a button on his coffee table, and a section of it's surface slides open. A silver platter with two teacups, a teapot and a selection of biscuits and sandwiches rises. The blonde's stomach flips at the sight, and a low grumble rings out. He hadn't eaten in days.

"...Okay."

Silence falls as V pours the steaming tea into the cups, and offers him a salad sandwich from the plate. Felix quietly takes it, nibbling on the end of it. The rich flavour of the sauce ran over his tongue, making him shudder.

The blue-haired man takes a sip from his teacup, a crease appearing in his forehead.

"Felix..." V begins, clearing his throat. "I'm not your enemy. Please remember that."

The blonde stays silent, slowly eating his sandwich. His eyes flicker to the camera in the corner of the room.

Distrust grew in his heart, as much as it hurt him to do so.

The doctor tortured him. His own cousin kept secrets from him. Who could Felix trust now?

"...The celebration ceremony has been postponed again, due to what happened during our reunion. We have a few hours to prepare for it again." The blue-haired man looks to him sadly, covering Felix's covered knee with his hand. He gently squeezes it.

"As for your team mate... Changbin's mind begins to hurt him when he remembers his time in the games." V's voice is as gentle as can be, but the words make Felix stiffen.

_"...Is Changbin really gone?"_

_Seokjin simply smiles, not responding for a moment. It makes Felix feel sick, the fact that he knew but refused to tell him._

_"He probably wishes he were at this point."_

A chill creeps into his spine, and he lowers his nearly untouched sandwich. "Why?"

"It's due to his brain hypoxia--"

"N-No-- That can't be right." Felix racks his brain, remembering back to what people would be like after drownings or similar injuries. His brain didn't seem to want to put two and two together, his train of thought foggy.

"Felix..." V shifts forwards, smiling sadly. "I know you don't want to accept the facts, but you need to for now. The doctors are doing everything they can. Hopefully soon, he will be well."

The blonde refuses to meet V's dark eyes. From what he knew of V, he had been born and raised in the Capital: understandably, he would trust the medical professionals that surrounded him.

Felix worriedly glances to the camera once more. Maybe if he mentioned what Seokjin had said to him...

_"We see and hear everything."_

Felix swallows, listening to V ramble about his chosen outfits for tonight. After being forced to eat the rest of his sandwich, Felix is left alone in a small room connected to V's styling room to get changed into a simple robe for makeup.

A mirror is propped up in the corner, and Felix admires his body in it before tucking himself into the huge white robe. Any blood or bruise that had caked his body during the games was definitely gone. His legs and arms were bonier than normal, and his ribs stuck out at strange angles.

What really caught his eye was the scar that ran along his chest.

It was thick and purple, and ran in a three-inch diagonal line across his heart. Felix presses his palm flat against it, feeling disgust grow at the sensitive feeling. It felt hard, like a piece of metal was inside of it.

He shivers, closing the robe.

Felix returns to the room to greet his prep team, the two purple-haired women from the beginning of the games. They congratulate him on his win, but quickly prop him up in a tall stool in front of a mirror to begin his makeup. His already filed nails are recleaned and painted with a clear coat. Coats of foundation are smudged into his skin, mascara is used to make his eyelashes longer. Felix stays silent as the two women chat to him.

He could only worry for Changbin. A sick feeling had entered his stomach ever since their meeting, and had refused to leave. Felix wanted to be with him, to hold his hand and kiss his forehead while he recovered.

Food is soon delivered to the room, and Felix is left alone to eat before being dressed. Fluffy white rice, luxurious kimchi soup, perfectly cooked beef strips and salad. Felix knew that he needed to eat more, but he really didn't feel hungry. Pushing the food around in his bowl, he thinks back to his last meal: sun-baked fish from the arena. He smiles sadly at the memory of holding hands with Changbin, his chopsticks clattering against the side of the bowl defeatedly.

He missed the black-haired boy so much.

Dark eyes slide to the door. Maybe he could slip out for a few minutes? Felix wasn't sure where the hospital was, but surely it couldn't be far from this room.

He needed to see him again, regardless of what V had said.

Toeing on the white slippers that had been supplied, Felix glances to the blinking camera in the corner. How many cameras were in these rooms? Would they watch where he goes.

He opens the door, glancing out. The white hallway was empty. Felix frowns, remembering back to before the arena and to which way he needed to go. The elevator was to the left.

The ghost of the empty hall that had once been full of new tributes made him shiver, cold air hitting his skin. This is where they had first come to be prepped, to be dressed. Now, it was only here for him and Changbin.

Padding along to the end of the hall, he ducks behind a corner to check that it's empty. Peeking out behind a trolley of used towels, he sees a peacekeeper is pacing the hall in front of the elevator, assault rifle in hand.

Was that to stop Felix from escaping, or to protect him from an outsider?

The blonde shudders at the sight, trying to think up a plan. He could try and just run past, nonchalantly, but he felt like the white officer was there for a bigger reason.

Eyeing the trolley beside him, the gears turn in his head. There was a room nearby, and after a quick test of the handle it easily opened into a small storage space. Maybe, just maybe...

Felix grasps it's white metal cage, pulling it. It moved with ease, its wheels spinning quickly and quietly.

Perfect.

He breathes in deeply, tightening his robe. This could either go very successfully or very badly.

Felix yanks the trolley, pushing it back towards V's room, before shoving it and letting it fly. It flew away from the elevator before crashing into a wall, the metal rattling and smashing against the white tiled floor.

Slipping into the supply closet, Felix leaves the door ajar. Hurried footsteps grow nearer, and a flash of white catches his vision: the peace keeper. His steps slow as he approaches the trolley, holding the gun aloft.

Holding his breath, he inches the door open as the peace keeper pokes at the fallen trolley with his boot. Slipping out and towards the elevator, he hurries to the metal doors, trying to scan his wrist.

Nothing.

He scans it again, panicking now, before swapping to the other wrist. Had the chip been removed? The mark was gone.

Felix looks behind him at the sound of squeaking boots, a spike of fear flitting through him. There was nowhere for him to hide, save for the giant white plant pots guarding the elevator doors.

He needed to at least try.

The blonde throws himself behind one as the peacekeeper rounds the corner, ducking his head down. He holds his breath as the man returns to his post, very aware of their close proximity.

Shit! If Felix was caught now, he would be in a lot of trouble. However, with the door refusing to open for him, there was nothing else he could do but wait.

He waits. And waits. Felix's neck started to cramp from his position, but he didn't dare move. The blonde's eyes never leave the looming assault rifle.

Finally, there's a ding, and Felix's heart races. The doors slide open, revealing V and a black dress bag. Guilt lines his stomach at the sight of him cheerfully walking past, smiling at the peace keeper fondly.

"Good afternoon, Jiminie."

"I'm on shift, V!" The peace keeper whines, lowering his weapon. "Don't call me that"

V laughs in response, clapping him on the shoulder. The peacekeeper, 'Jiminie', had instantly relaxed. He elbowed his friend and walked with him down the hall. The elevator doors were beginning to slide shut.

He needed to see Changbin.

Felix hesistates, before racing through just before they close. He slaps the buttons inside to send him down to one of the unknown floors.

The elevator hums before lowering, its plush lining lit up by bright warm light. A soft tune is playing, like how it used to when he road it for training.

Hiding in the corner, the doors slide open. Felix glances out, seeing a bunch of empty offices. A large tally was in the corner, with a name and a colour besides each. Felix frowns, unable to read the names, but there was a total amount of money next to each.

Maybe this was the sponsorship room? Capital civilians would ring in to donate money during the games, and from what he could see there were loads of phones and monitors.

The doors begin to close as he presses another button, letting it take him further down. The next floor he didn't recognize either. It was very fancy looking, with leather seats and an overdressed secretary at the front. She sees the elevator open, and frowns, lowering her book.

Felix quickly presses for the next floor, the elevator doors sliding shut hurriedly.

The next floor he recognized. This had to be it.

The stagnant white walls and scent of antiseptic hit Felix immediately. He slips out the door, quickly walking down the hall. He nearly misses the window that approaches him, full of doctors offices. Ducking down beneath it to remain hidden, he hurriedly crouch-walks down towards the open room.

The open room was empty, too, save for the furniture inside. No more camera men. Was this a good thing? He begins to walk towards where the hospital rooms are but freezes at the sound of voices.

Felix hurls himself underneath the leather couch, shimmying down towards the back wall. Jaebum and an exhausted Yoongi emerge, talking in quiet voices between each other.

"...should tell him."

"The ceremony is tonight. I'm sure it can wait."

They disappear towards the elevator, and Felix lets out a sigh of relief. The cold tiles stuck to his skin as he slips out from underneath again, embarrassed to be dressed only in a robe and slippers.

Suddenly, everything goes red. Literally.

The lights above had taken on a red colouring, painting the room in it's colour. Felix startles as an alarm rings out, followed by an announcement. The voice is female, and strangely robotic.

"Attention. This is a code red announcement. Tribute Lee Felix is currently missing, last located inside the elevator 4 minutes prior."

Of course the elevator had cameras! His heart startles, and Felix breaks into a run towards Changbin's hospital room. He can hear footsteps from the doctors office, and shouting, as the alarms ring out.

Did they know he was here?

Felix presses the button to open Changbin's room, relieved when it quickly slides across without anything else needed. He shuts the door behind him, slamming the lock button, and the sound of alarms die out.

Changbin's room is dark, save for blinking monitors.

Catching his breath, Felix turns, relief crashing through his system at the sight of Changbin fast asleep. He looks so peaceful, and the steady rise and fall of his chest instantly calms Felix down.

They're alone.

Felix shuffles towards him, and a sob escapes his chest. The blanket is pulled up to Changbin's chin, and his right arm is cuddling it tightly.

The blonde sits on the bed besides him, before reaching out to gently stroke Changbin's cheek with his thumb. The elder boy hums in his sleep, curling up in reaction to the gentle touch. A small frown breaks out on his face, wrinkling his brow.

Felix softly chuckles, feeling a tear dribble down his cheek.

"Changbinnie."

He can hear voices on the other side of the door, but ignores it as he leans in to softly press a kiss to the boy's brow.

The black-haired boy stirs, dark cat-like eyes fluttering opening to catch Felix's own. He stiffens at the sight of the blonde, his voice coming out slurred and drugged.

"...'Lix?"

"It's me, Changbin." Excitement hit him now, his heartbeat crashing erratically. Changbin looked confused, blinking between blank eyes and ones of recognition.

There's banging on the door now, and Felix looks to it, scared. Could they unlock the door? Changbin suddenly reaches out to grip his arm, very tight. The blonde cries out in sudden pain, whipping back around to face him.

"Please..." Changbin begins, fear in his eyes, as his grip tightens. Felix winces, grasping his wrist. The machines begin to beep erratically.

"'Bin?"

"... _Help_ me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the badish chapter, ive been super busy with tafe and stuff recently and had a lot of writers block ❤❤ lemme know what u think!! probs gonna be quite a few more chapters now that i think about it


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess whos back
> 
> back again
> 
> shayminions back
> 
> tell a friend

 

Felix felt cold, trying to pull himself from Changbin's iron-like grip. Despite how sickly the black-haired boy was, his fist trapped Felix's wrist tightly, tight enough to leave a bruise. Scared, the blonde yanks himself away from him. Changbin sluggishly groans, leaning forwards. His face had started paling again, sweat beading on his forehead as he slowly sunk backwards into the cushions.

What should he do? The banging on the door grew more insistent, and Felix knew that meant he had very little time left. Worry pooled into his stomach as he eyed the machine feeding medication into Changbin.

"They injected you with tracker jacker venom."

"Changbin--" Felix whispers the words, reaching a hand out to stroke the boy's cheek, when the elder suddenly does something Felix didn't expect him to do.

He lashes out.

If not for the belt around his middle, the punch would have connected with Felix's face. His pale fist instead manages to hit Felix's forearm, knocking his gentle touch away forcefully. The machine beeps warningly as the movement pulls at the needle, nearly tearing it from the thin skin. Vehemently, Changbin glares at Felix, shattering his heart into little pieces.

Felix doesn't hide the look of hurt in reaction to his enraged gaze. "Ch-Changbin--?"

The door bursts open, and a squadron of peace keepers lead by Doctor Seokjin swarm into the room. The number of uniformed officers outnumber him greatly, their visors held low. A crackling sound of electricity from tazers startles Felix as he steps away, rubbing his arm.

"Lee Felix," Seokjin says coolly, flashing his teeth. "We've been looking for you."

The blonde shivers, drawing his robe closer. Vulnerable in how little he wore, Felix allows himself to be swept away without a word, escorted closely by the group while Seokjin swarms in. A pained smile is on his face.

As he leaves, he catches Changbin's half-lidded gaze boring into him, seeing a look of fear that flashed behind them as he's restrained back to the bed by Seokjin.

Then, the door slides shut once more.

The steady sound of marching boots squeak across the tiled floor as he's escorted back to the elevator, passing again through the main waiting room he had been in during their reunion footage. A shiver of deja vu rolls through the blonde at the sight of his and Changbin's mentors. Yoongi, haggard-looking, suddenly looks years older as his cat-like eyes glint in Felix's direction.

Jaebum, however, is staring at Felix, a flash of a question in his gaze. Mute sadness dances across Jaebum's face for a moment, more emotion than his mentor had ever shown before. The blonde bows his head in shame under their passing gazes, remembering that going against the Capital's order of being separated was risky for every party involved. No words are spoken as he's quickly ushered into the elevator.

Silence, save for the tasers, falls as he's squeezed inside, shoulder to shoulder with the taller peacekeepers. Felix is suddenly self conscious again as the doors slide shut. A cool breeze seemed to flow from somewhere as the elevator made its ascent, and a shiver rolls through the blonde.

Underneath the peacekeepers visors, Felix is unable to see their eyes, but can feel all of them shift towards him from the slight movement. The blonde chose to stare down at his bare feet, embarrassed.

Finally, they've returned to the dressing room.

V is pacing, and only stops at the sound of the door clicking open. A wave of relief washes over his face as Felix is ushered in alongside two peacekeepers, closing them in. The pit of worry in his stomach grew as V flew towards him and pulled the blonde into a hug.

"Felix! You had us worried sick." V tuts, unintentionally falling into his Capital dialect. A wary Kookie rises, eyeing the peacekeepers, but doesn't speak.

"What on earth were you doing? You know Changbin isn't supposed to see you, it makes him sicker." V has pulled him away at arms length, his brow furrowed. "The president himself nearly came looking for you. He too would like to know why you did what you did."

A cold feeling settled over him, remembering his cousin's warning.

"I think they're mad... What you did in the arena, it started an uprising."

Yes, he had only wanted to see Changbin... but he had gone against the Capital's orders once more.

Felix swallows, before racking his brain for an answer that wouldn't raise alarms.

"I was looking for Chan," Felix whispered hoarsely, wetting his mouth. It was half true: since he had woken up, his cousin had seemingly disappeared again.

The blonde felt fear trickle into his bloodstream at the thought of Chan being unsafe. He didn't trust the Capital.

"Your brother was sent home, in preparation for your arrival after the crowning ceremony."

Felix feels the tension escape him for a moment, a sigh of genuine relief fanning out, before he remembers the uprising.

The peacekeepers opened fire. Is it even safe back home? Felix doubted they were ever truly safe. The electric fence that surrounded their district was always passed off as something to protect them from the outside world, but really it was there to keep them, and the dangers that lurked, within.

Felix needed to find a way to keep both Chan and Changbin safe. But how?

V clucked over Felix's 'ruined' makeup, dragging him to a seat in front of the mirror to repair it. Defeated, he allows V to raise his brushes to fix the damage, not a word coming from his mouth as Kookie and V idly chatter. A worried look is passed between them as Felix thoughtfully looks into the mirror, probably a look that they wouldn't think the blonde would catch, as Kookie collects Felix's outfit from the rack.

"I hope you love this outfit as much as we do, Felix." V's warm, genuine smile relaxes the blonde despite his pounding heart. His dark eyes catch on the door behind them, and he clears his throat.

"Officers. Would you mind stepping out for a moment so we can dress our victor?" V sounds impatient, and Felix turns to see the two peacekeepers from before. Both are stationed side by side to the door, unmoving like statues. They'd almost blended into the wall at this point.

"President Jinyoung has stated that Lee Felix must be watched at all times," one states, startling the blonde at the feminine tone. The voice is deadpan.

V bites his lip, indicating for Felix to undress and redress quickly into the suit. The blonde's cheeks flush red from all of the eyes on his naked body, his back turned, but keeps his chin held up high.

The suit is a simple velvet (velveteen?) in navy, with pinstriped scales running up and down it's fabric. Under the fluroescent light, the threads shimmer in every colour of the rainbow, reflecting and dancing around the room.

Had he not just been in an arena, Felix would be excited to wear such a beautiful outfit again, but felt a dull sense of dread standing in front of the mirror.

His longer hair is swept back and up into an almost pompadourish style, with his freckles dusted in glitter. V is working quickly now, due to the loss of time earlier, with Kookie bent in front of him to shine the plain black boat-shaped shoes.

V bites his lip, pausing on his right cheek and resting his thumb against it. "You kept your scar intentionally, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

V nods in understanding, gently brushing glitter onto it. The raised skin shines, glittering like his suit. Whether V had done this to show the scar off gawdily or in pride, Felix wasn't sure.

"There's one last thing."

Felix raises an eyebrow, as V holds out a plain ribbon. It's a matte black, but still seems to shine under the light.

Coal black.

"I thought... for Changbin." V smiles softly, and Felix feels his breathe catch in his throat. "Even if he isn't there on stage with you..."

Felix breaks his face into a watery smile, which seems to confirm his feelings on this. V grins, tying it neatly into a large bow on his wrist.

"Okay, okay, we have about 10 minutes now. Where on earth is Jaebum? You'll be interviewed together." V bites his lip, telling the ever quiet Kookie to quickly go looking for him.

The red-haired man's shoes scuff on the tiled floor, leaving Felix in silence with V. The blonde sinks down onto his stylist's couch, letting out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. Gently, he touches the ribbon.

The interview. The ceremony. It would all be over soon.

Shouldn't Changbin be well for the crowning ceremony? The Hunger Games would always put a hold on the crowning ceremony in order to make sure their victor was well enough. A few years back, the winning tribute had almost all of his guts slashed out of him, and they had to hold the ceremony off for a month while they stitched all of his insides back in again.

Then again, the games had never had two victors before like this. Felix's stomach lurches at the knowledge he knew, thoughts drifting back downstairs to the hospital wing.

Would Changbin even be revealed as alive? Felix gently presses his fingers to his lips, deep in thought. He mildy remembers camera crews filming his 'reunion' with the black-haired boy, before Felix had gotten too close and been tasered. If Chan was right, that it had caused an uprising, then surely they wanted to make things right and reveal him as being alive to keep everybody 'happy' again.

Felix shivers at the idea of Changbin's life being used like that. A rising fury he'd barely felt before the Game's squeezed his chest, red and hot.

The blonde's thoughts are interrupted by Jaebum's arrival. Flanked by another two armed peacekeepers, his eyes are sharp. Felix's black-haired mentor nods stiffly to Felix as V ushers them away, reminding them of how little time was left before their interview. As the blonde rises to his feet and allows himself to be swept away, the two men share a look as the door shuts, a hidden conversation happening between them both.

It threw Felix off. V had looked scared, a flash of fear running under his smiling brown eyes. However, in the presence of the squadron of guards flanking them, Felix says nothing.

Jaebum clears his throat as they enter the elevator together, checking his very-expensive looking gold watch.

"Lee Felix. We haven't spoken since our reunion this morning." Jaebum's eyes flash to the peacekeeper that had joined them in the elevator, before settling them again on the shorter boy next to him. A slight sadness fills his gaze. "We saw that you have been busy."

Felix stays quiet, looking to his feet. Jaebum nudges him, to grab his attention again.

"You'll have left the Capital by this time tomorrow. Enjoy this time. Have you eaten?"

Felix shakes his head, and Jaebum sighs. He seems to have guessed he won't be getting much from the blonde.

However, Felix can feel his mentor's gaze on him, drinking in his deflated appearance. They reach the main lobby, stepping out, and are flanked by a new team of peace keepers. A dull roar of a crowd makes Felix shiver. The Capital was waiting to greet its victor.

Only a few weeks ago this lobby was bustling with life, in preparation for the Quarter Quell. Now, it was empty, save for one surviving tribute, his mentor, and enough peacekeepers to outnumber them at least 3 times.

Faces of the dead tributes swim behind his vision. Hands suddenly grasp his shoulders: Felix hadn't realized until now that he'd sunk to the floor, shaking. A ringing sound seemed to join the din of the crowd.

"You okay?"

Jaebum's words feel far away as the elder man shakes his shoulders, trying to break him from his stupor. Suddenly, they're gone. Replacing Jaebum, white clad arms slide under his own, forcing him back to his feet and onwards towards the interview.  He's steered backstage by the peace keepers, vaguely taking in his surroundings before being pushed into a plush chair.

The boom of the national anthem pulls Felix out of his thoughts, making the blonde slap his hands over his ears. Jaebum looks concerned as Felix blinks back into reality. In the tiny backstage area they're joined by the girls in his prep team, and a worried Hyunah. What were their names again? Felix's head felt fuzzy.

In classic Hyunah fashion, she's dressed in a bubblegum pink dress made from probably hundreds of dead flamingos. The sight adds to Felix's dizziness as he sinks back down to the floor, hands above his head. As the song begins to die down and Minho's voice instead booms across the stage, a breathless V joins them, having gotten changed into a plain velvet suit. He and Jaebum share a look before he goes to stand with the purple-haired girls and Hyunah off to the side. Minho's voice sounds distant, and Felix is unable to make out the words from where he's crouched.

Jaebum crouches to Felix's height, squeezing his shoulder. The blonde can hardly hear his voice over the roar of the crowd.

"Are you alright?"

Felix jerkily nods, eliciting a frown from Jaebum as he rises again. His mentor leans in, eyeing the peace keepers carefully.

"One last hug for goodluck?"

Felix frowns at the sudden request, unable to remember a time where Jaebum had asked to hug him. He carefully leans in, before feeling a warm breath on his ear as Jaebum speaks quickly. His gold earring dangles, knocking his cheek.

"Be careful, yeah? Up on stage, they'll be watching your every reaction and answer. You've become an enemy of the Capital now."

"An enemy?"

Felix's prep team disappear, followed by V. Jaebum will be called soon, probably. However, he still holds Felix close, his grip tightening on his shoulder.

"Remember why you did what you did in the arena, but don't flaunt it. Stick to your guns. I'll be there with you on stage if you get stuck. Don't say anything stupid." Jaebum's words all come out in a rush as Minho moves on to call out his name. He draws away, and ruffles Felix's hair.

Jaebum looks like he wanted to say more, but instead departs for the stage. Left alone with the peace keepers, anxiety pools into his stomach as Minho hypes the crowd up for his big reveal.

An enemy? Worry flew between people in his head. What did Jaebum mean by this? Felix frowns, biting his lip and trying to take his mind off his rising anxiety attack.

He runs his fingers over the cool ribbon material, remembering back to the first interview he'd shared with the 29 other tributes.

Changbin had held his hand down here. Felix vaguely remembered the feeling, how he had done it when he'd told the black-haired boy how worried he had been. Changbin had even joked about how Felix would create a hole in his lip if he continued to bite it. Ironic. A sad smile ghosts his lips.

And then, he's being pushed down the corridor and out onto the stage, his name booming across the stage.

"And now your victors: Lee Felix and Seo Changbin!"

The first thing he takes in, again, are the cameras. Hundreds of flashes light up his face, photos and videos that will probably light up everybody's televisions at home for days to come.

Minho kindly comes to his side, holding an arm out for Felix to grasp. Grateful, he takes it, being led to a plush couch in the centre of the stage. On the platform already, to the right, sits Jaebum, V, Hyunah and his prep team. However, to the left sits Yoongi, G Dragon, a Capital man with a very curly mustache and a tall thin girl he assumed must have been Changbin's prep team.

And there _he_ is, being assisted by a nurse. He looks totally different, his face with a little bit of colour, but still extremely frail. His arm is in a sling, wrapped tightly in white bandages up to the shoulder.

Changbin.

Felix freezes in his tracks, locking eyes with the slow moving boy, and all the sound around him fades out. His heart beat turns rapid, excited, banging in his ear drums and filling his mind. He feels himself release Minho, and take a few steps to close the distance.

As he's about to throw himself at the boy, memories of what he's been told crash through his mind, making Felix hesitate.

" _Changbin's mind begins to hurt him when he remembers his time in the games._ "

Felix remembered how Changbin had lashed out this morning. Why had he done that?

Everything was so confusing, and Felix felt scared.

It took everything in him not to instantly throw himself at the black-haired boy, but to instead wrap his arms around the shorter boy in a gentle hug.

The Capital is screaming at the sight, probably unable to see how ginger the touch is. Felix understands now, as he draws back and looks into his lover's eyes: they're glazed over, confused and not quite there.

No wonder the nurse was with him, carefully directing him onto the stage. His movements are sluggish, recognizably so. Changbin looked drunk.

A feeling of anger coated his heart. What, so they could just drug Changbin and put him up on the stage like this? Like an animal?

Slipping a hand into Changbin's own, he allows Minho to direct them to the couch in the centre. Felix catches Jaebum's eyes as he sinks down onto the plush velvet.

Felix realizes something, sinking down into the seat.

The Hunger games weren't over.

If anything, his greatest battle was about to begin: in the form of a televised interview.

Felix tightens his grip on Changbin's cold hand, refusing to let go.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hi sorry for the short chapter update after all this time! I've been so busy competing and doing tafe work that I hardly had time to eat, let alone write.
> 
> however, I'll be back writing this fic now! what I thought would end as a quick book I think might extend into a proper series. hope that's okay!
> 
> lemme know what you think in the comments ❤❤


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you @stellarwoojins for proof reading this for me! sorry for the delay in posting. I took woojin leaving really hard and it gave me quite a shock. he will always be a member in my eyes, but it put me off finishing this chapter for another week

As the cameras flash for what felt like eons, Minho finally quietens the crowd. The level of excitement left a buzz over the crowd, washing over to the stage like a wave.

Minho, animated as ever, has a hidden sadness in his eyes. It flashes to Felix, confusing him, but he masks it quickly as Minho jokes about how stiff Felix and Changbin look. He shoots a glance to where the president stood, with the victor's crown on display, levels above them on a large balcony. The blonde felt a stab of panicked fear. He remembered how Minho had an earpiece, and recieved information possibly from the president himself.

Flustered, Felix laughs and plays along, joking back about being suddenly camera shy. He abruptly leans to rest his head on Changbin's collar. The elder flinches at the sudden touch, but he slowly leans into his side through his stupor. It felt obviously heavy and confused. Does the Capital know their victor Changbin is on drugs? 

The lights begin to dim, and monitors flicker to life with the logo of the Capital. A sudden jolt of panic seizes Felix's heart as he realizes what is about to happen. No, no, no.

They always played a recap of the Games for the victor, Capital and everybody at home watching. The panic washed over him in waves, making him tremble as they're brought back to the beginning of the Hunger Games.

There's a quick recap of the reapings. Districts one through to fifteen are played in turn. He inwardly grimaces as he watches the career tributes volunteer again. Choi, Jackson... Two of the most dangerous people in the arena for Changbin and him. The next few play through. Felix stares as he watches them, watching how Jisung volunteered for his little brother with a forced smile. A sick feeling enters his stomach, and Felix suddenly felt like crying. They had both been so thin. Maybe, if Jisung had won, they would have had a little bit of money...

Changbin's district is up now. He seems to stiffen slightly under Felix at the sound of his name, and Felix tightens his grip on his hand. Changbin had to be there somewhere, under the layer of fog the drugs had given him. Was he upset? On screen, Changbin is shouting and flailing, refusing to go up on stage. This was the second time he had been Reaped ever in his lifetime. He hadn't wanted to be in the Games at all, hadn't wanted to waste his precious friends gift of protecting him years ago.

Felix presses his face into Changbin's flushed neck, his eyes blurring with unshed tears. He refused to cry them, slipping an arm around Changbin's waist instead.

When the pricking sensation in his eyes finally leaves, Felix returns his gaze to the screen, just in time for his own District's reaping.

Nevermind. Felix refuses to watch as he hears Chan's screams, instead returning to cowering in Changbin's neck.

Thank God the stage was dimmed. The recap blitzes through the parade, the training and finally the interviews. Of course, the most exciting interview had been their one right near the end. The crowd cheers at the stolen video of them on screen blasts television again. Felix forces a smile for the camera as it zooms in, unable to produce anything more. It had been the Capital's retaliation for Changbin's rebellion during their scoring. How could he show how angry he was? It puts more people in danger.

Then came the Games.

30 tributes stand on their podium. 15 hopeful teams. Felix jolts as the sight of his scared self. Wow, had he really been that small? This Felix knew he wouldn't be able to contain his feelings while watching this, and instead pushes down his outer feelings and masks it with an emotionless stare. Changbin seems mildly interested in the movement on the screen, but as blank as ever.

Last year, the recap went for three hours. Worry fills him at the idea of sitting here, deadpan, for that long.

However, the tributes have stepped off their podiums and begun the bloodbath. Swallowing, he watches blood splash and spray across the arena. It was sickening. Jennie had climbed up and was throwing knives down into the sea of tributes... suddenly, Changbin's arrow goes through her head. Felix flinches at the sudden cut to a fallen Lisa, horrified by the fear in her eyes.

Then, they're all running their separate ways. The group of Career tributes stay at the Cornucopia to finish off remaining tributes. One team, a boy and a girl, are desperately trying to escape. The boy has a cut in his leg, like how Felix did, but deep in his hip. The girl is too weak to carry them both, before they're cut down by a looming Jackson.

Thank God he had been paired with a strong boy like Changbin. The selfish thought came and went, but made Felix feel queasy.

The screen cuts to the different teams as they depart into the arena. Felix jumps at the sudden cut to Changbin threatening to kill him, arrow pressed against his head. Felix winces at the sight of his own sobbing, accepting his own death, and leaning into the arrow.

Seeing this from a different perspective was so wild to him. This is how everybody at home saw him. Would Chan have been disappointed in him for giving up so quickly?

And then Changbin is hesitating, the arrow hovering for a moment before being put away. He's gloating at Felix before tearing the knife from his leg. The sight makes him, and the crowd, wince. It's wild how jarring the cut had been, compared to now. The milky skin of his leg was smooth and untouched, save for a thin short white line. Then, Changbin has the tourniquet wrapped around his leg, earning heartfelt 'ooh's from the crowd.

It cuts to another team as they travel through the forest, finishing up with Changbin offering him a piggyback ride.

The next few minutes are just cutting between the Career tributes stockpiling from the Cornucopia, and the travelling teams. A separated Jisung and Jeongin are shown every once in a while, making Felix's heart pang. They look utterly terrified. The sky tribute plays out, flashing unreadable names of the fallen.

They show Changbin and Felix finding the cave. Felix allows himself to smile fondly at how suddenly motherly Changbin had become, until it suddenly drops as the audience joins in. It felt awkward hearing laughter from the crowd in response to their jokes, but Felix forced a smile at the camera that zooms in on his face.

What really became interesting was when they separated. 

Changbin had disappeared on his own for a while, and Felix saw him traversing the forest on his own between a few cuts. They show Changbin leaving marks on trees to guide himself back to the cave. Felix was surprised by this simple yet genius move. Had he learnt it during training? 

There was a lot of things Changbin had done that surprised Felix. His talent with a bow, his knowledge on how to survive. His easiness to kill. A shiver rolls through his body at the memories, watching as they replay on the screen in front of them. They vaguely show him shooting a bird, and falling down the cliffs surrounding the cornucopia a few times. He winces as Changbin slices his cheek on a stone. The skin was now smooth and scarless.

When night falls, that's when everything begins to get interesting. 

Felix suddenly flushes bright red. His grip on Changbin's hand tightens, probably painfully so. Memories of their time in the arena flood Felix's memory, and his cheeks burn brighter at the very vivid memory of making out in the cave they'd called their home while Felix was sick.

Sheepish, Felix thinks back on it now as he curls into a confused Changbin's side. God, hopefully they hadn't seen that. Hopefully his cousin hadn't. 

Unfortunately, they had, and it wasn't long until its shown on the screen with gaudy music in the background.

The audience is excited again now, whooping, and Felix refuses to watch. Mortified, he hides his face in his hands, cringing at the sounds until they eventually died away.

Now it was day two. Why was this recap so long? Felix felt his heart flip when they show Jisung finding him, sadness seeping in.

He suddenly felt sick. Felix was unsure of how many days had been spent in the arena, but knew for sure this would go on for what would feel like hours.

So, he blocked it out.

It felt very hard at first, to become disinterested, but instead he focused on drawing little lines on Changbin's hand and wrist. Even if he was drugged, the fact that Changbin was sitting next to him, alive, was enough to distract him from the horrors on screen.

However, he felt afraid to look into his glazed eyes again, afraid of how long this effect would last.

Felix's eyes wander from the screen, towards their support teams. Yoongi looks complacent. G, very interested.

Hyunah is on the edge of her seat as the Changbin on screen walks out of the cave in a huff. V is staring blankly at the screen as it cuts to another team.

Jaebum, however, also has his eyes wandering. Felix frowns, seeing how the elder has eyes locked with Minho, before glancing at his watch. Felix flinches when his dark eyes flit up to catch the blonde's staring.

Felix's eyes nervously return to the screen, watching as the Felix on screen begins to get sick. What was Jaebum doing? Returning his eyes to his mentor, Felix is slightly disappointed to see him watching the screen again.

The rest of the recap passes without incident, save for the blonde's growing heart rate. Felix finds himself drawn back in. The sound was deafeningly loud, but he was unable to watch as Jackson is killed. He hides the emotions on his face when Jisung, and thus Jeongin, have the life emptied from their faces. The crowd watches intensely now, hushed comments sweeping across, as the Games draw into their final moments.

The flood breaks out, and Felix closes his eyes. He'd had enough.

He felt both hot and cold. His palms were clammy in Changbin's lax hand, so much so that he barely felt the elder's own twitch and tighten as Felix's heartbroken screams rip out across the audience. 

Then, silence. Felix slowly opens his eyes, to a growing applause from the crowd in response to the recap. Minho quickly re-enters the stage, as animated as ever, to reinvigorate the crowd.

Felix was struggling to focus. He looked down at his hands, feeling dizzy. He had to think about his movements before he does, flexing the fingers of his free hand. 

The audience has gone quiet again, confusing Felix. He looks up, realizing he had missed a question from a beaming Minho.

"Uh, sorry. What did you say?" His voice felt far away, and he swallows dryly. 

"I said, that was exciting!" Minho's eyes have an unreadable emotion behind them, but he doesn't break his smile. "You must feel relieved to be sitting here, not only alive, but with a very alive Changbin by your side too."

The crowd cheers in response, and Felix forces a smile. His mind was racing at a hundred miles a minute, anxiety growing on top of even more anxiety as he remembers Jaebum's warning. "Y-Yeah, I feel very lucky to be here. Changbinnie and I both."

He directs a grateful smile towards the camera, as Minho turns to the crowd to explain just how lucky the love-struck pair really are. 

"We only had the best doctors in the Capital to save our victors, but of course not everything could be saved. Victor Felix has been fitted with a very special device in his heart. Without it, he would surely have died." Ooh's and aah's fly from the crowd, and Felix gently holds a hand over it. The idea of something so foreign, something that the Capital had fitted him with, frightened him. 

"Our dashing victor Changbin, while his arm may recover thanks to a fitted device, unfortunately suffers from brain trauma due to his injuries." Minho is speaking to the crowd clearly and carefully, who respond in turn with sounds of sadness. Felix's eyes wander as he details the level of Changbin's problems, trying to find something other than Changbin to ground himself right now as panicked seeped into his system.

Jaebum is looking to the sky above the stage, frowning.

The roof of the training centre here was open, revealing a stretching black sky. No stars shone here, due to the light pollution of the Capital.

Minho has turned back now, snapping Felix out of his trance. 

"Ah, but to be young and in love! Felix, you'll need to speak for two today, so tell me when you realized your feelings for Changbin! You two seemed very close during the Games, as we all saw."

Minho is trying to help Felix, giving him a soft smile. Felix's eyes flicker to his support team, catching with V's. The blue-haired man gives him a slight smirk that looks like a grimace.

"Hm..." Felix really did have to think about this question, his shaky hand coming to rest on his own chin. "I think... at first sight."

He feigns embarrassment, looking away, as Minho and the crowd laugh in response. This begins a barrage of questions about their budding friendships, about Lisa, about Jisung and Jeongin. He bites his lip as Felix mentions the gifts Jisung recieved, as if trying to hide a smile. The blonde's reunion with Chan is shown on screen, bringing a genuine smile to his lips. 

"And about the very dramatic ending... Why did you do what you did, Felix?" Minho is hushed now, staring intensely into Felix's own eyes. "You were so brave to sacrifice yourself for Changbin the way you did."

Here it was, the question he was dreading. Was his answer going to be safe enough?

"I..." Felix pauses, steeling himself, before speaking honestly.

"I couldn't imagine living in a world without Changbinnie-hyung." He pushes the words to come out more pitifully than intended, making himself sound younger and stupider than he actually was. 

Jaebum smiles in approval as the crowd eats this all up, roaring in response.

"One final question, Felix, before your very special party begins." Felix was confused by this, before remembering that the Victory's Banquet would be held tonight after the ceremony at the president's own mansion. It was tradition, and as a Quarter Quell this one would be very special.

The crowd quietens in anticipation, and Minho breathes in slightly before speaking. "What's next for you, Lee Felix?" 

"Next?"

Minho smiles softly. "You're a victor. I imagine you've had some thought about your winnings."

Felix thinks on that, frowning. It hadn't occured to him, that as a winner, he would have a prize. Of course he knew what it was, every other starving person in District 14 knew it very well. 

Enough money to last a lifetime. A lavish home to yourself in the outskirts of the district. Food from the Capital, straight to your doorstop. 

It hadn't occurred to him until now that it would all belong to him now.

"I guess... help the people in my district," Felix mumbles, thrown off by the question. "I'll live with Changbinnie, look after him--"

"Ah, but Changbin will have to return to District 9, correct?" Minho frowns, but something is glinting in his gaze as he speaks. 

"Oh--" Felix frowns, suddenly feeling cold. "Oh. I didn't--" 

He finds himself unable to finish, his mind suddenly swimming. Changbin wouldn't be able to go to District 14? Felix couldn't remember a time where a victor has moved Districts. Many had tried to live in the Capital, only to be rejected.

Minho hums, resting his finger tips together as Felix goes silent.

"Well, thank you for being honest, Felix. I'm sure you and Changbin will be able to communicate through letters, and see each other at next years Games. A real pity."

The cold reality sinks in, and suddenly the blonde felt very torn as the anthem begins to play again.

"Thank you, to our victors for their time tonight! And thank you, to such a wonderful crowd! I've loved hosting this very special Quarter Quell, and getting to know our very special victors!" Minho rises from his interview chair, arms outstretched. He waves to the crowd, grinning, before glancing at Felix. His mind is still reeling from the final question.

Minho's smile twists slightly, before he looks to the sky, to where the president stood looking down at them.

"And as we all know, I bid you goodnight!"

It felt strange, that last word. It was as if time froze for a moment, and those last two syllables seemed to hang in the air longer than necessary.

One second Minho was standing there, the next everything went dark and silent as the power suddenly died.

The crowd, suddenly confused, made hushed sounds. Was this a part of the show? Felix himself felt very confused, before blinking as the lights came back on.

Above them, blanketing the arena, were hovercrafts. Felix held a hand above his eye, squinting at the sudden light change, as he feels a hand grasp his shoulder and pull him upwards. The hovercrafts looked exactly like the models used during the Hunger Games. Some looked strange, however. A few were rusted, others looked thrown together using different parts.

However, one thing remained the same between them all.

The gatling guns strapped to each of their undersides opened fire, into the crowd of screaming people below. If not for the forcefield, hundreds would surely be dead within seconds. The sound was insanely loud, cracking with electricity, forcing Felix to cover his ear with his free hand as he ducked his head. He refused to let go of Changbin's hand, clutching him hard.

He had never heard a gun like this. He had seen them, of course. If someone dared to try escape District 14, they would be gunned down in a similar style to what was happening right now.

Felix felt alarmed as he's dragged to his feet and pushed to the side of the stage by his mentor. V, Jaebum and Suga have been the first to move, with the rest of their teams sitting in confusion still. Minho has disappeared. Whether the redhead had gone into the crowd or off to the side of the stage, he wasn't sure. Peacekeepers have risen to their feet, confused about the threat, some falling to the bullets raining from above as they broke through the Capital's defense system.

If not for the firm hand guiding him, Felix would have fallen in shock. Jaebum, however, has a strong hand gripping his shoulder.

Felix looked back to the sky, and catches sight of the president on his balcony. He's standing at the edge, resting on the railing.

His dark eyes lock directly with Felix's, making him shiver, before he and Changbin are swept backstage.

Felix had so many questions, as the sounds of exploding bullets rains out across the Capital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please let me know what you think!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey!! I am back now friends!! sorry for disappearing for so long, I've been busy and got sidetracked by other fandoms.
> 
> I'm gonna be fixing up older chapters and updating them to be written better, so keep ur eyes peeled for a total fic update soon!
> 
> \- Jen!
> 
> (just a CW that this chapter includes gun-related violence)

The next few minutes of Felix's life pass in confused moments.

The lights above flash on and off, screams rip out from civilians. Gunshots ring out, from both the attackers above and the peace keepers surrounding them. Changbin's hand is torn away from his in the confusion. He lunges to grasp after it, his eyes not used to the lights: they made him dizzy, and disoriented, and if not for a firm hand on his shoulder he surely would have panicked by now. 

However, Changbin's hand escapes him, and Felix lets out a cry.

The metallic scent of blood suddenly fills his nostrils, throwing Felix over the edge. Memories from the Games pound in his head, of sunked faces and lifeless eyes. Felix drops to the floor, hands over his ears, as his panic took over again.

"Hey, hey--" Jaebum's voice suddenly sounds in his ears, as two large hands suddenly grasp his shoulders and draw him back up into a standing position. They've made their way backstage towards the training tower, with Felix sinking to the floor yet again. The blonde is startled to feel his heart crushing inside of his chest, panic overtaking him. His breath came out in short gasps.

Felix couldn't breathe.

"Felix," Jaebum has taken on a softer note, trying to calm the younger down. Exploding sounds rip out from the stage, along with screams. There's a wave of gunshots. "Felix, breathe. We need to move."

The words fall on deaf ears as he sinks down again. It's only when something metal is being pressed into his hands does Felix suddenly break out of his stupor.

It's a gun. Jaebum is crouched next to him, his face stoic and blank, as if the world isn't exploding above them. Dark eyes pierce Felix's own for a moment, before he looks away to focus on the task at hand. His other hand carefully, but deftly, moves Felix's smaller fingers. He does it so that one hand rests on the safety, the other on the trigger.

"Wh-What--" Felix chokes on the words, trying to give it back, but Jaebum is firm. 

"You need to flick this up in order to make it work," he murmurs into his ear, showing him how to do it. Dust suddenly showers from the roof above their head, but Jaebum patiently moves his fingers. The weapon makes a clicking sound as he loads it. 

"Now, it's loaded." Forcing Felix's hands up, he aims toward the wall. Smoothing the shakes and protest on Felix's behalf, it fires, piercing the wall and leaving a gigantic crack in the brick. The blonde's hand recoils from the action, and he would have dropped the damned metal if not for his mentor. Never in his life had he used a gun. God, Felix had been lucky enough to never personally see someone use one.

Until now, it seemed.

Jaebum re-enables the safety, finally releasing his hands. Felix shakily grasps it tighter, the cold metal heavy in his grip.

"Jaebum-- I can't--" Felix tries to protest again, as his mentor unkindly grips him under his arm and yanks him up. Yoongi has disappeared, and Felix's heart flutters in terror. "Where's Changbin?"

Jaebum simply ignores him, dragging him again through the hall. There's a glint of metal, and Felix catches his dark-haired mentor flicking the safety off his own gun. *Oh*. Where on earth had he kept this on his body? Had he had it the entire time backstage?

They reach the tower, which is in a disarray. It's oddly silent, but the windows had been pierced. Glass is strewn across the floor, shattered, and some of it bloody. A peacekeeper, still with their helmet on, lays on the floor. Dead.

Jaebum tries the elevator, but it's to no avail. The screen you needed to scan your wrist at beeps, saying something, and turns red. He swears aloud. 

"Jaebum, what is happening--?" Felix finally tries to question the confusing situation, but is alarmed when Jaebum suddenly raises the gun and shoots at the wall. There's a sound of something thin being pierced, like paper, and he tears what Felix had thought to be a wall down. 

An emergency stairwell. It must have been hidden this entire time, because Felix didn't remember seeing it earlier. There's a noise from behind them, and Felix makes a little startled sound as Jaebum suddenly shoves him down again.

Two Peacekeepers had made it through to follow them, one with a handgun, the other with a large, electrified taser. The moment Jaebum raises his weapon at them, the first one opens fire. He screams as the bullets pierce his uniform, the blonde's eyes suddenly haunted by the vision of him falling. Electricity slices off the weapon of the second as he raises it, racing forwards. Jaebum retaliates, shoving Felix toward the stairwell, reloading the gun and firing. 

"Go."

The stairwell is darker than the stark, bright-white lobby, dimly lit by a lone light that hung from the imposing ceiling. It seemed to span for ages, going up and up, higher and higher. The bulb of light flickers every once in a while, the ceiling shaking and dust falling. There's a muffled yell from above, and gun shots. Felix suddenly remembers what Jaebum said. Go. Go where? 

His mentor returns to his side, sighing, hooking his arm again. Raising a cufflink to his mouth, he quickly speaks into it, holding a hand over his ear.

"I have him. We're coming. What's happening up there?" 

It's only now does Felix notice the tiny earpiece, attached to an earring on his tragus. It easily blended in, looking simply like a small stud.

Confusion paints Felix's features more as he's pushed to climb the stairs. Jaebum is frowning, listening in on whatever is being said to him. 

"Changbin and Yoongi are on the fifth floor--"

"Jaebum!" Felix finally shouts his name, cutting through the din. His mentor stops in his tracks. Dark eyes narrow as Felix suddenly clings to the handrail, refusing to budge. The gun dangles in his grip, as if threatening to be dropped.

"Please-- Just tell me what is happening right now!" Why were they going upwards, towards the hovercrafts that attacked them from the sky? Where they had more risk of dying if the building chose to collapse, leaving them to never be found amongst the rubble? Changbin is up on the fifth floor already, and probably climbing higher. Why?

Jaebum removes his wrist from near his mouth, and openly hesitates before speaking.

"Getting you out of here." 

"What?!"

There's another rumble throughout the building, and Jaebum looks annoyed. Felix is reeling, his mind going a hundred miles a minute.

"I'm not supposed to be telling you--"

"Why not?!"

Jaebum looks pained, eyeing the stairs above. Felix knew they needed to move, especially if the man is shooting at Capital Peacekeepers. 

Shooting. At Peacekeepers. Felix's mind still swam in circles from that image, how coldly Jaebum had pulled the gun. Felix had never thought him capable of killing outside of the Games, and that had been years ago.

Now, he felt scared to even be stood next to his mentor. Felix's chest hurt, his heart banging in his rib cage.

"Do you want to see your cousin, or not?" 

Felix's eyes widened at Jaebum's rash words. His cousin? *Chan*. What did Chris have anything to do with this? His eyes flicker to the earpiece, and then back to Jaebum's face. Felix's lips thin into a line.

"We need to go up," Jaebum murmurs, eyes flashing. Another rumble. Felix's hand tightens on the gun. "Now."

Felix could either comply with Jaebum's request, or let the peace keepers find him.

He begins to move up the stairs. 

Jaebum shortly smiles at him, and they climb the stairs. Nothing seems to be crossing their path for some time, but they still run, passing closed door after closed door as they rose to the top. 

Felix felt he had enough information to piece together some kind of truth. The weapons, the hidden communication tools, the cold but serious way Jaebum seemed to know what was happening: the explosions must be planned. The hovercraft, again, all planned. 

The blonde boy needed to trust in Jaebum, but he felt himself again sink to the floor as they reached the ninth floor.

Felix's legs felt like jelly in his suit pants. Where was Changbin? There's a sound from below, the marching sound of boots. Felix begins to try to climb the stairs again, but Jaebum holds him back, shoving open a door and pushing the blonde inside. The door slams shut behind them with a clang of metal.

There's a wide passageway with another closed door. Glass panels reveal the insides of what looked to be an office of sorts. Shouldn't this be a team's floor? Felix was unable to remember who's it should be exactly, but Jaebum is already trying the door. It's locked. 

The sound of an explosion rocks the building, shaking it, and Felix sinks to the ground to stabilize himself. It felt like the entire building is about to come crashing down, and he grits his teeth. Jaebum's hand hovers the earpiece.

"The elevators are broken. There's another emergency stairwell connecting to the tribute's flats that we can take, but Changbin is there now. There's five Peacekeepers. 8th floor."

Felix doesn't understand what the hell that means, but suddenly the lights go out. 

They're plunged into darkness, and Felix drops the gun in his alarm. Scrambling to pick it up, the lights suddenly flash in red, periodically filling the room with colour. The door smashes open.

Over a loudspeaker, a lady calmly speaks. "Warning. This building is currently in lockdown. Please, remain calm, and walk in an orderly fashion toward the elevator." 

Jaebum scrambles into action as a Peacekeeper opens fire on him, ducking out of the way. Cold dark terror fills his heart as the masked person turns on Felix, and he feels his heart pound in his chest as they raise the gun. Suddenly, he drops to the ground, a bullet lodged through the visor of his helmet. Jaebum is gripping Felix's shoulder, making him stand, and smashes through the glass with the handle of his own.

"Use it," Jaebum curses, slapping Felix's dropped gun into his hands. He darkly eyes an upper corner, shooting at a camera. "If you see a camera, take it out."

Mutely nodding, he follows Jaebum in climbing through the door. The woman's voice plays over and over again on the speakers, seeming to only get louder and louder. Felix feels his shoulder catch and scratch on the broken pane as they hurry through, but doesn't pay it much mind as the lights flash and illuminate the room in broken pieces.

The office space they're standing in flashes in and out of his vision, but just enough for him to get his bearings. There are no windows, save for a lone, strange mirror. It spans the wall, ceiling to floor, and across at least 5 meters of wall space. Felix feels himself stop, frowning as he approached it, before he suddenly gasps.

It's not a wall. It's a sheet of one-way glass, and in the darkened room behind it he can make out a couch and bedroom similar to his own prior to the Games. Felix's stomach felt sick. There are chairs set up, where people could simply sit and watch. Why? What was the point of this type of space? Was it for the Games, or their own sick desire to watch them like caged animals?

Jaebum doesn't give him the time to question this, and instead shoots through the pane of mirror.

It crashes loudly, loud enough to startle anybody nearby. His mentor pays his sickened look no mind as they step through into the room, as if following a map Jaebum had memorized in his brain.

There's another on the other side of the floor, which takes Jaebum a moment to find. He's holding his hands flat to the regular wall, feeling for something, before smashing it down.

The concept of one-way glass made him feel sickened. God, he had *showered* in these rooms, and Felix could only imagine that the bathroom against the wall easily had a similar pane of glass in it. What had the point of cameras been, if they had the glass? A distraction? Something to make them feel safe, when they were out of range? Felix shakily raises the gun, shooting out a camera. 

They've made it to the next stairwell, and the building rumbles again. Jaebum frowns, before suddenly pulling Felix forward.

"You need to get to the roof, right now--"

"Why?!" 

There's a horrible tearing sound from below them, a smashing of metal, of brick, as part of the stairwell comes crashing down. The walls seem to be falling, teetering, as explosions ring out below them. A few dead Peacekeepers line the stairs, but Jaebum ignores them, dragging Felix upwards a few flights. He trips over a body, but Jaebum catches him, dragging him upward. The entire building seems to rock, and they both have to stop to cling to the railing so as to not lose their footing.

A flash of white catches his vision, and Felix shakily raises the weapon before Jaebum grasps his arm. "Wait! Don't shoot this one."

A Peacekeeper stands ahead of them, his helmet off. He has a gash on his left cheek, but he has full lips and a startled look on his face. Sandy-blonde hair falls in his eyes. Jaebum relaxes.

"Jimin. The situation?"

"It's waiting for us up there," the man says, quickly, holding on for dear life as the building teeters again. "This whole place is going to come crashing down in five minutes. I wish I was exaggerating."

Awkwardly laughing, Jimin's eyes scan Felix's face quickly for a moment before darting away. Holding the handrail, they resume their journey, Jimin with his hand on his assault rifle. 

"The Peacekeepers in the building have been rectified," he says, loudly, over another warning from the sirens. "They had expected us to go on foot into the city, not back into the building, so they didn't expect a fight. The roof is dangerous right now, but the hole's up there. Expect a fight. Eleven-oh-eight's already on board, with his mentor, and on his way back to base. Mentor got injured, though. He didn't want me to stay behind."

Jimin looks pained as he expresses this, but Felix just felt confused. Hole? 1108? The numbers must mean Changbin, and he feels a flutter of gratitude for this.

Jaebum is pushing Felix to go faster, slightly out of breath. "And Seokjin? Nobody's said anything."

The Peacekeeper winces, trying to catch his breath. "Escaped. Namjoon's pissed. V's in hiding, in the city. He lost Kook, though." 

Jaebum nods, and as they reach the 12th floor the rooftop doors burst open. 

A flood of at least four Peacekeepers enter, and Jaebum all but drags Felix down to his feet, pointing his gun and shooting upwards as they gain their bearings.

Clutching the gun in front of him, he panickingly shoots, missing enough shots to know he'd simply not helped in the slightest. Jimin has his own raised, quickly clearing it out, as if it was simply just another day at work for him.

Felix shivers.

Hoisting Felix back to his feet, they reach the top floor, and burst out onto the rooftop. The wind is whistling like crazy, the floor shaking, as the building begins to collapse again. 

Up here, you can see flashes in the sky. What seemed to be fireworks was gunshots and explosions lighting up the night sky, hovercrafts at battle in the sky. Flames light up the streets below, and Felix shudders in horror as he takes in the sight. 

Jaebum is still pushing him, toward the edge of the building, where a lone hovercraft is waiting. Another is landing on the other side, letting out three more Peacekeepers. They immediately open fire on them, just as the building tilts, sending Felix slipping onto his side. The metallic taste of blood fills his mouth as his face smashes on the ground, sliding away from the hovercraft.

Jaebum swears aloud, grabbing Felix's arm, as the floor shudders again and drops another level. Jimin had already reached the hovercraft, but has his gun raised at the opposing one, opening fire. 

Felix, trying to scramble to his feet, startles at the sight of blood dripping down Jaebum's leg and thigh. They're both at an angle now, the building no longer horizontal. It was really beginning to go down now. When had he been shot? He flattens himself again as more gunshots ring out, and Jaebum groans in pain, teeth gritted. His earring flashes in the explosions of light and sound. 

"Get to the hovercraft," he orders, grasping Felix's arm with bloodied fingers and wrenching him up.

"Jaebum--"

"Go!"

Felix grits his teeth, grasping Jaebum's shoulders. "No! Not-- You're coming with me!" He tries to help his mentor to his feet, but fails, feeling the floor rumble again beneath them. More gun shots ring out. Enraged, Felix turns on the Peacekeepers, and loads the handgun before shooting at them.

One pierces a shoulder. The other goes straight through the last one's visor. Thrusting the damned metal away, Felix tries to grab Jaebum around his shoulders, and force him to his feet. 

"You're an idiot," Jaebum hisses, shaking his head, as Felix helps hold his weight up and bring him to the mouth of the hovercraft. It's jet engines resound loudly in the air, whipping it. Jimin holds out a hand to help first Jaebum in, then Felix. It's smaller than the Capital's ones, but as soon as they're inside, it quickly cloaks itself, and Felix realizes they're not alone. Felix falls to the ground with a crash as it suddenly lifts off, and away from the building as it finally gives out and begins to fall. Staring from his place on the floor, Felix has the perfect view as they raise higher and higher, frozen wind whipping his cheek.

The training centre crashes into a heap in the centre of the Capital, engulfing into a mixture of dust and smoke. Jaebum is hurriedly whisked away for treatment, the blood wetting his pant leg growing alarmingly large. Whoever the hell was driving seemed to know what they were doing, as it's only a few minutes until they're out of  the Capital.

It disappears into a smaller blink, the sounds of explosions simply melting into the sound of the breeze. Felix is gasping, out of breath and unable to catch it. His heart is hammering in his chest, and it seems to be moving faster and faster, regardless of how much he tried to breathe. 

His brain began to feel fuzzy, and a whining sound appears in his ears. Felix can hear voices, somebody saying something, a flash of blonde hair.

There's a prick in his arm, and suddenly everything goes dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you think in the comments ❤ side note but this hit 5k hits and I'm??? what!!! thank you all for reading, sorry to leave it on an awkward note!

**Author's Note:**

> hello lovers, I'm back with another fanfic concept
> 
> I like to write all the chapters before I post something (save for the only active fic I have) in case I lose inspiration, but I don't think I will for this one!
> 
> let me know what you think friends


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